


If You Think You Know Me

by INeverHadMyInternetPhase



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: (no smut though), Alternate Universe, Angst (a bit), Fluff, Internet hacker!Dan, M/M, One Night Stand, Police officer!Phil, Strangers to Lovers, hidden identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-29 02:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 32,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6354901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/INeverHadMyInternetPhase/pseuds/INeverHadMyInternetPhase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fiction. Phil’s a police Sergeant. He’s been itching to get promoted to Inspector for ages, but to do so, he needs to crack his biggest case - famed internet hacker the Howler. Phil’s been after him for years, but he’d never managed to get even a hint towards his identity. When he meets a hot stranger in a bar one night, Phil thinks his luck might just be turning up. But maybe getting close to this particular stranger isn’t the best idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When We Met

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [If You Think You Know Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12618900) by [irni_mak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/irni_mak/pseuds/irni_mak)



> Warnings: mentions of alcohol, one night stand/mentions of sex (no explicit smut though), inaccurate technology stuff because I’m not actually a hacker, swearing
> 
> Word Count: around 30k in total
> 
> A/N: This one is very AU, so their characters might be a little different, but hey, I’m allowed to take liberties. Also it gets romantic and there are mentions of sex but no smut, I don’t write it. Also disclaimer: I don’t understand technology and I don’t know how to hack. There will be inaccuracies, I apologise, but they’ll only be tiny things and shouldn’t affect the plot. Also this was supposed to be angsty but apparently when I sit down to write angst, fluff comes out. Oops.

**PART 1**

Phil Lester had been a police officer for three years now, and he had a promising career. He’d already made Sergeant and there’s talk of Inspector for him if he continues his successful work. More criminals have been put behind bars due to his efforts, and the city of London is increasingly safer since he moved there from his hometown of Manchester. His immediate superior, Inspector Johnston, found Phil’s work impeccable and thorough, with Phil being his Sergeant of choice to work with on any new case. They’d been working together on an ongoing case for over a year now – trying to catch the infamous hacker known only as the Howler. Phil’s desk was always piled high with new leads, new papers, important trails to follow in the hunt for one of the most notorious criminals active in London at the moment.

Which was why Phil should definitely _not_ be here at a bar on a Sunday night.

He downed his third drink, already feeling a little fuzzy around the edges, and set the glass carefully back on the counter. The bar was busy, full of chattering party-goers and mischief-makers who lined the tables and the long counter of the bar, where Phil was wedged between a group of giggling girls and a lone man nursing something suspiciously fruity-looking in a glass. The girls were being particularly loud, and from the pink sash and bunny ears one of them was wearing, Phil guessed they were on a hen night. Sunday seemed a bit of an odd day to him, but they _were_ in the middle of London. Despite living here for the past three years, Phil still found large city life a bit alien from his more rural roots.

The bartender caught his eye when he came back over, offering another drink, but Phil shook his head. The night was growing old, and he had work in the morning – really, he shouldn’t have come here in the first place.

“Oh, come now,” a slow, sarcastic drawl sounded from his side. “Surely _one_ more can’t hurt.”

Phil jumped, almost falling out of his seat. He turned to his left to see the lone man who had been at his side all night eyeing him closely, one brow arched in interest. He was hot – Phil admitted to maybe checking him out a bit earlier in the night, when he only had one drink in his system. 

And maybe he’d caught the man looking back at him, too, but Phil wasn’t one to tell.

“Can’t,” Phil managed not to slur his words as he replied. “Got work in the morning.”

The mystery man pursed his lips, but then a smirk took over his features. “All the more reason. Live on the edge a little.”

Phil wavered, unsure, but the man turned back to the bartender and said, “He’ll have another one. So will I. And I’m paying.”

The bartender glanced at Phil, who gave in with a nod and settled back onto the bar stool. Few enough opportunities to spend his time with a hot stranger came his way anymore, so he might as well enjoy the chance when he got it.

The stranger chuckled lowly, offering a hand. “I’m Dan.”

“Phil,” Phil replied, taking the hand and shaking it. The man’s grip was strong.

Their drinks arrived, and Dan leaned back a little, running his eyes appreciatively down Phil’s form. Phil had to stop himself from visibly shivering. Instead, he lifted his chin and met Dan’s eyes with a challenging stare, his expression quirked with question. “Can I help you?”

“Well,” Dan drawled deliciously slow, “I think it might be more of a case that we can help each other. If you catch my drift.”

Phil stopped mid-sip. Was this hot stranger propositioning him? _Him_ , of all people?

“Or,” Dan continued conversationally, his grip lazy around his own glass, “You could be very straight, in which case I apologise and I’ll leave you alone. Let you get back to your – work, or whatever.”

“I’m not,” Phil cut in abruptly, causing Dan’s head to snap around and fix him with a strong gaze. His eyes were a colourful brown, Phil realised in the dim lighting of the bar – brown, but flecked with something warm. His features were sharp, angled, and he carried himself with confidence.

Dan quirked a brow under Phil’s intense stare. “Not what?”

“Straight.” The word fell bluntly from Phil’s lips. “Bi, actually.”

“Well, well, well,” Dan leaned a little closer, his elbow brushing against Phil’s, and the air between them suddenly grew very heated. “How fortunate. So am I.”

As Phil ran his eyes down Dan’s body to where their elbows lay side-by-side, and as he inhaled Dan’s intoxicating scent, he thought that maybe Dan was right, and this entire meeting was very _fortunate_ for them both.

Later that same night, they’d abandoned their drinks and rushed outside, where Dan had Phil pressed up against a wall and his lips pressed tight to Phil’s neck. Phil tipped his head back, trying and failing to think past the heady rush of alcohol in his veins and the heat of Dan’s body as it pressed up against his own. He shouldn’t be doing this. He was a responsible member of society. He was supposed to be protecting people.

But then Dan bit down, and Phil’s thoughts scattered again.

With quick, almost desperate, movements, Phil reached up and grabbed Dan’s shoulders, pushing at him, forcing his head up to meet Phil’s lips. They kissed messily, drunkenly, but with heat that Phil hadn’t felt in too long and _oh shit_ there went the last of his restraint. He spun them, taking control, leaning Dan back against the wall and leaning in to kiss him harshly.

He felt Dan shudder beneath his touch. 

Phil pulled back just long enough to mutter, “Your place or mine?”

“You move fast,” Dan huffed appreciatively, and Phil was slightly proud to hear how out of breath this hot stranger was from just his touch.

Phil gave a nonchalant shrug. “Only when I see something I like. But if you’d rather not…”

“No, no,” Dan smirked, his fingers winding around Phil’s wrist, “I live ten minutes away. C’mon.”

Phil followed close behind him, deciding that just for tonight he was going to ignore his common sense.

—

Phil awoke in a stranger’s bed for the first time since his university days. They’d shuffled around in the night, so the sheets were tangled up around their messy limbs and Dan was curled up against Phil’s chest, his eyes still closed, his breathing even. Phil took a moment to appreciate the way Dan looked beside him, with his hair all rumpled and his skin still sweaty. But then he saw the time flashing from a clock on Dan’s bedside table, and he gave a high-pitched squeak.

_Shit, he had work today._

Moving quickly, but carefully, Phil managed to disentangle himself from Dan’s bed and get carefully to his feet. He grabbed for his clothes from the messy pile on the floor, tugging them on, and barely had time to check he still had his phone and keys before he knew he had to go. He’d have to rush back to his own flat from here – when he figured out where he actually was, anyway – and grab his badge and uniform before heading over to the station. His head was beginning to pound, and he could feel the beginnings of a hangover creeping sluggishly through his body.

There was a muffled groan from the bed. Dan flapped a hand in Phil’s direction, speaking through a giant yawn. “Y’gotta work, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Phil spoke quietly, glancing back at the bed, and he tried not to be overwhelmed by just how endearing Dan looked as he scrubbed sleepily at his eyes.

Dan rolled over a little, squinting in the faint sunlight that crept its way through the curtains. “Painkillers in the kitchen. Knock yourself out.”

“Thanks.” Phil was a little surprised, but genuinely grateful. He glanced once more at Dan before heading through the flat – thankfully it was small, with minimal doors for him to lose himself in – and found the kitchen. After opening a few cupboards, he found the packet of painkillers and swallowed them down with a small glass of water.

When he left the kitchen again, Phil went back to peek his head around the bedroom door, figuring he should at least say goodbye. Plus, Dan was hot, and endearing, and his room had a Totoro figure on the windowsill which meant he clearly had impeccable taste. Phil honestly felt a bit bad about just rushing straight out of here.

“Uh,” he spoke from the doorway, watching Dan lift his face slightly from the pillow, “So, I have to go.”

“Sure you can’t take a sick day?” Dan’s voice was muffled, but Phil thought he was sincere.

“Honestly, I’m flattered, but I really can’t. My boss’ll kill me.”

“Shame, that.” Dan stuck his face back in the pillow. He flapped a hand in Phil’s direction. “At least leave me a number? I promise when I’m more awake I’ll text you.”

“Yeah, yeah – I can do that.” Phil hesitated for a moment, unsure, but then pushed away his worries. _To hell with it. What’s the worst that can happen? If he turns out to be a serial killer I can catch him and finally get that promotion._ So Phil headed across to the bedside table and pulled out an old-looking envelope and a pen, printing his name and number neatly on the edge. On a whim, he leaned across and ruffled Dan’s hair on his way back out. “I’ll see you around, Dan.”

“You will,” Dan muttered, dodging Phil’s fingers, “But touch my hair again and I’ll kill you.”

Phil muffled a laugh as he headed out of the door.

It turned out that Dan only lived a couple of minutes from a bus stop, and it didn’t take long for Phil to figure out his route back home. As he sat on the bus, his mind helpfully decided to play him a few blurry images from the night before, leaving him with a warm, wanted feeling that he hadn’t experienced in far too long. His last relationship had been with a girl, and that ended before he came to London – aside from a couple of drunken hook-ups, Dan was his only recent partner. And he was certainly the first to leave Phil wanting more.

Because Phil _did_ want more. He wanted to get to know Dan. They’d spoken for quite a while during the night, and from the little he’d gleaned, Dan was funny and warm and witty, with a sarcastic edge to his tone that made Phil want to learn more.

And now Dan had his number.

Phil tried not to get too fuzzy over that.

By the time he’d finally made it back to his apartment, collected his things, and rushed along to work, he was ten minutes late. He rushed a quick hello to the person on reception, fumbling for his security pass to be able to get through to the offices. When he finally did make it, he was greeted with the usual gathering of people around the desks, full of constables and technicians manning the phone lines, and his own desk tucked away in a corner of the room. He waved cheerily at a few of his colleagues on his way over.

“Hey, Lester,” a sharp voice called from behind him, “Inspector Johnston was looking for you.”

“Already?”

“Yeah, think he’s got some work for you to do.”

 _Dammit._ Phil was rarely late, and he didn’t want his boss thinking any less of him at the moment. Rumour had it that a new opening for an Inspector was coming up, and Phil knew he was at least in the running. He couldn’t afford to make any silly mistakes – although Dan last night certainly didn’t _feel_ like a silly mistake.

When Phil got to his desk, he was greeted with a new pile of files, and an accompanying note on top of them. _For you – more news on the hacker case. Have a read and come to my office._

Phil glanced down at the pile and grimaced at the amount of paper there. Looked like his morning was already busy, then, and he’d have very little time to mope over whether or not Dan was awake yet, if he was up, or whether or not he’d text Phil like he said he would. Instead, Phil slumped down into his squeaky desk chair and picked up the first file.

It was going to be a long day.

—

Dan didn’t drag himself out of bed until several hours after the guy had left.

The guy – Phil? Had his name been Phil? – woke Dan up far too early with his moving around, which normally Dan wouldn’t be able to forgive him for. But Phil had been good company, and he’d stayed and cuddled with Dan until morning, which gave him brownie points in Dan’s book. Then, he’d stuck around long enough to hold something like a conversation, and seemed genuinely sorry that he had to go off for work. A partner with an actual job was a novelty, as well. Maybe Dan could actually get used to that.

Or maybe he shouldn’t, he reminded himself wryly as he clambered out of the shower and hunted for some clothes. After all, his line of work wasn’t exactly the safest, and Dan knew he’d be better off keeping to himself. If he had loved ones, then they could be used against him. Plus, his clients were usually happier if he was unattached – fewer people to learn their dirty secrets.

Speaking of his clients, Dan was almost sure he was supposed to be working today.

After pulling on some trackies and a hoody, he wandered out of the bedroom and headed straight for the kitchen, flicking on the kettle. Coffee and painkillers were certainly a necessity. As he leaned against the counter, Dan flicked his eyes up to hunt down his painkillers, only to lift a surprised brow when he saw that half of his cupboard doors were open. He’d let Phil in here earlier to find painkillers, hadn’t he? Huh.

Dan shook his head, snapping the doors shut and retrieving the tablets. He stirred himself some coffee, downing the painkillers with its help, and then wandered back out into the sitting room and through towards his office. The room was dark and familiar, the blinds always drawn to stop any prying eyes from his neighbours. One entire wall was taken up with complex machinery, his desktop computer in pride-of-place in the centre of his desk, resplendent with flashing lights. Dan kept his workspace impeccably clean, though the rest of his flat resembled a pigsty more often than not.

He settled himself into his desk chair and flicked on the computer, humming happily as it stirred to life. Extracting his phone from his pocket, he went through his diary – he wasn’t stupid enough to write any of his appointments _down_ – and ah yes, the Filemore case, that was his task for today. The nephew of Hank Filemore, owner of the giant chain of businesses, had contacted Dan online, seeking his credentials as the infamous hacker known only as the Howler. Dan was fairly proud of his pseudonym – just enough to incite fear without being ridiculous, and close enough to his surname that he got a bit of a kick out of knowing no one had a clue who he really was.

This case seemed simple enough – the nephew was furious at his uncle for kicking him out of the company, so he’d begged Dan to plant some compromising images on his uncle’s computer. A bit crass for Dan’s taste, to be honest, but the nephew was paying handsomely and Dan got to wreak a bit more havoc. So he got to work as soon as his computer was awake.

It was easy as anything to get into the Filemore’s files, and then all he had to do was upload the images into Hank’s personal computer. While the files were transferring, Dan pulled out his phone and jigged it from hand to hand, thinking back over the night before. Phil – if that was his name – had caught Dan’s interest from the moment he first slumped down onto the bar, with his milky skin which turned out to feel like silk, and his eyes that all but jumped out of his face. Dan couldn’t deny that he wanted to see him again.

And he’d left Dan his number, hadn’t he?

Leaving his computer for a second, Dan darted back into his bedroom and hunted every surface until he found the envelope sitting out on the bedside table, with a number and Phil’s name scrawled next to it. So Dan had remembered correctly – good. He seated himself back down in his office, watching his computer idly as he debated what to text.

 **Dan** : you’d better not have given me a fake number, Phil. Last night was fun

He leaned back in his chair, gnawing nervously on his lower lip – only he wasn’t, because Dan Howell didn’t _do_ nervous. He also didn’t do texting people other than clients, but apparently that wasn’t a rule anymore, either.

At least Phil didn’t know anything about him, so his reputation should remain intact.

A few moments later, a reply came buzzing in.

 **Phil:** no fake number, I promise! Hey, Dan. And yes, last night was great, can we meet up again sometime?

 **Dan** : Absolutely. I hope you know I don’t let people just run out on me

His phone went quiet for a bit then, so Dan went back to his computer, checking on the status of the files. They were mostly uploaded by now – all that was left was to log out, remove any trace that he’d ever been in the Filemore’s system, and then contact Samuel to let him know the job was done. Dan was just erasing his footprints when his phone buzzed again.

 **Phil** : Hey, I actually had to get to work. Which is where I am now, only someone keeps distracting me

Dan couldn’t help but smirk a little. Phil must be interested, then, if he was already finding it hard to refocus on his work. He allowed himself a congratulatory grin, but didn’t text back until he was safely out of the Filemore’s system.

 **Dan** : I don’t know who you could possibly mean.

 **Phil** : Yeah right you don’t. I can feel you smirking from all the way across the city

 **Dan** : Well then, I don’t need to say it, do I?

 **Phil** : Glad to see I didn’t just invent your arrogance

 **Dan** : Well it can’t be that much of a turn-off if last night is anything to go by

Once again, Dan’s phone fell silent, and he gave an annoyed sigh. He wasn’t used to being ignored – in his line of work, people knew to answer him promptly. But Phil was at work himself, and Dan should be ok with not talking to him for a little bit. They’d only just met, after all, even if it was rather an intimate meeting.

Dan did another check of his computer, making sure that he’d cleaned everything up, before he logged onto his messenger and sent Samuel the signal to let him know the job was done. With that done, and the money on its way to his bank account, Dan closed off his computer again and settled in front of his TV instead, sticking on an old anime he loved.

A little while later, his phone buzzed with a new reply.

 **Phil** : I would say you’re right, but I don’t want to feed your inflated ego anymore

 **Phil** : Also I have work

 **Phil** : Just got a lead so I’ll text you later

 **Phil** : Bye Dan x

Dan blinked down at his phone. Lead? What did that mean?

It was then that Dan realised that he actually had no idea what Phil’s work actually _involved._ ‘Lead’ could mean anything, from a dog leash to a new point in a case, but Dan shied away from that idea. The last thing he needed was for Phil to be involved in some kind of law enforcement. Although maybe having a lawyer on his side wouldn’t be such a bad idea – not that Dan had any plans to get caught, but he did well to be cautious.

He was also desperately trying not to overreact to the little kiss Phil had left on the end of his last text. He was an _adult_ , for fuck’s sake, he could handle a bit of flirting. If that’s what it was.

So why was his stomach jumping around like it was trying to do the fucking aerobics?

Dan shook his head with a growl, settling further into the sofa and losing himself in his anime. All he needed was a bit of perspective back.

And next time he saw Phil, he’d make him pay.

—

Phil put down his phone just in time, as Inspector Johnston was making his way over to his desk. Phil glanced hastily down at the pile of files he was supposedly ‘reading’ – he’d got through a little over half, but there were still a substantial number left. And now his boss was on the way over. _Great, Phil, you’re really going to get that promotion, aren’t you?_

“Whoever you’re texting, they can wait,” Inspector Johnston barked as soon as he was within earshot. “You hear about the lead?”

“Yeah,” Phil nodded, sitting up a bit. “Well, I heard there was one. What…?”

“I’ll fill you in on the way.” With a jerk of his head, Inspector Johnston was off, and it was all Phil could do to scramble his things together in time to follow.

They took one of the marked cars out, heading onto the busy London roads with the rest of the daytime traffic. As they went, Inspector Johnston filled Phil in with where they were going.

“Got a lead on the Howler. Finally. Case looks a bit suspicious – we had an anonymous tip to raid the Filemore computers.”

“Filemore?” Surprise tainted Phil’s tone.

“Yeah, I know,” Inspector Johnston replied wryly, “He’s gone for the big ones this time. But the station got a tip to investigate his computers. Sound familiar?”

“The Howler’s getting predictable.”

“Doesn’t mean we’re any closer to catching him.” The Inspector shook his head, hands tightening around the steering wheel as they drove closer to the station. “But at least he’s not straying from his pattern. We’re on our way to the scene, but don’t interfere with the other investigators, we’re just there to follow any info on the hacker.”

“Got it.” Phil leaned forward a little, eyes bright. This was the bit of policing he really loved – going to a crime scene, being part of the action. Making people’s days a little better, if he could.

When they arrived at the Filemore’s office, Phil stood a little in awe of the giant skyscraper before Inspector Johnston reminded him that he was here to do a job, and probably should stop gawking and get on with it. They entered the building and took the lift up to the top floor, where there were a few other officers stationed who beckoned them through to the main office.

Inside was Hank Filemore, gesticulating wildly as his computer was taken over by their technical analyst. Her name was Emily – Phil knew her well. And he certainly did _not_ appreciate the way Hank Filemore was swearing at her.

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Inspector Johnston instantly took over the scene, his tone calm and business-like. “My Filemore, if you’d like to have a seat…”

“No I would not like to have a seat! She’s fucking _stealing_ my _computer!_ ”

“Yes, and we can talk about why, if you’d sit down.”

“I’m not going to fucking stand here and take your damn shit…”

“If you’d prefer to do this at the station, that would be fine,” the inspector interrupted coolly.

That got him to shut up.

It didn’t take long for Phil to get the basic story – Emily had found compromising images on Hank Filemore’s personal computer, that Hank swore blind he’d never put there. He was convinced it must be some kind of set-up, and although Phil didn’t like the man at all, he was inclined to agree with him. This had the Howler written all over it – no trace of any intervention, but the suspect was adamant that they’d done nothing wrong.

Phil left the Inspector to question whether or not there was anyone in Hank’s life who would want to get back at him – the man was a top businessman, so the list was likely to be extensive – and instead made his way back over to where Emily was still working at Hank’s laptop.

She gave him a tired smile. “Hey, Lester.”

“Matlock,” Phil replied with a fond look. “How’s it going?”

“Terrible. These images are some of the _worst_ – seriously, there are some sick people in the world.”

Phil gave a shudder. “I bet. Any news on tracing them?”

Emily gave a helpless shrug. “I mean, they look like they originate on this computer at first. But I just – I don’t know, it’s like I can see they’ve come from somewhere else, but I’ve got no way to follow it. This hacker is _good_.”

Phil pursed his lips. “Is it like the others?”

“Oh, yeah. Definitely. It has the Howler written all over it, Phil.”

Phil nodded his head, leaning closer to the screen with his eyes alight. “I thought as much. But I suppose he didn’t leave any trace again? Or did he do anything slightly differently?”

“I’ll keep looking,” Emily answered, “But I doubt it. He’s a sneaky little shit, I’ll give him that.”

“Tell me about it. Can’t wait to finally catch him.”

“Good luck, Lester.” Emily shook her head, burying herself back in the computer.

Phil left her to it, watching the screen light up with coding that he didn’t understand until Johnston called him away again.

Later that night, once Phil’s shift was over and he was headed back to his flat, he couldn’t help but wonder whether Emily was right. Would they ever catch the Howler? The hacker had been active for over a year (that they knew of – there were probably more victims that weren’t on record) and they’d never had so much as a lead to his identity. All they knew was he was male, and he operated within London. One of Phil’s earliest cases had been with someone who owned up to using the Howler to hack his previous employer, and he’d stated that, while he’d never met the Howler in person, they’d spoken on the phone. Since then, the Howler had tightened his efforts, and almost never spoke directly to his clients, which meant that even if one did come forward to the police, there was still no indication as to who he could be.

Phil gnawed on his inner cheek as he set about heating himself up some dinner. It bothered him more than he’d like to let on – knowing that the mysterious hacker he’d been hunting for so long was somewhere in this city. They could have walked passed each other on the tube, or used the same supermarket, or frequented the same cafes and pubs. A chill rippled down his neck at that. Phil quickly pulled his thoughts away, berating himself. It did no good to dwell on such things.

Instead, he brought his dinner through into his lounge, where he settled down in front of some good old Bake Off. Mid watching people crying over their curdled cakes, he retrieved his phone and decided to text Dan again – there was a good thing that had come into his life, and he decided he didn’t want to let it go just yet.

 **Phil** : Work’s over now. Having a lonely dinner in front of the TV. How was your day?

The reply was a few minutes in coming, so Phil set aside his phone and concentrated back on the TV. When a reply did come through, it put a smile straight back on his face.

 **Dan** : You live a thrilling life. I’m lounging in my boxers eating popcorn and you can’t stop me

 **Phil** : I expected more from the hot guy who picks up people in pubs on Sunday nights

 **Dan** : Oi, don’t judge me

 **Phil** : Oh, didn’t I tell you? That’s what I do

 **Phil** : I’m a professional person-judger

 **Phil** : Bow to my skills

 **Dan** : Ha. Ha. You’re so funny

Phil: You don’t know I’m lying

 **Dan** : I don’t. What do you do?

 **Phil** : Told you. Person-judger. I sit in front of people and judge them all day long

 **Dan** : Sounds fascinating

 **Phil** : It is. Wbu?

 **Dan** : I’m a professional trash can. I sit and absorb trash all day

 **Phil** : Ok yours sounds like more fun

 **Dan** : You bet it does

Phil chuckled at his phone, his mood already lifting. The Howler had slipped back to the back of his mind, disappearing along with the other worries about his job. His promotion, his grumpy boss, uncaught criminals, suddenly didn’t seem to matter so much when he had Dan to chat to.

Phil went to sleep that night with a smile on his face and his phone right next to his pillow.

—

A week went past before Dan and Phil saw each other again.

Phil was caught up at work – the Filemore case escalated, and with the proof on the laptop, they had no choice but to arrest Hank Filemore, who immediately blew up. He screamed at all the attending officers until they were forced to restrain him in his holding cell, and the instant he calmed down enough to be interviewed, he flew a bunch of allegations at everyone who he’d ever offended or upset – which, as it turned out, was a long list. So then Phil and all the other lackeys had to go through every single person in Hank’s past who might be upset with him, and trace their movements over the last few days.

As a result, Phil ended every day frustrated and stressed. A week after he and Dan had first met, Phil collapsed back in his flat after a long day and decided to give him a call. With work piling up, he decided he’d had enough of running around after other people, and wanted to do something to make himself feel better for a change. Plus, Dan was the only thing in the past few days that had actually made Phil smile. Their constant texts were the high point of his days.

That was probably quite sad, wasn’t it? Still, Phil barely hesitated in clicking on Dan’s number and holding it to his ear.

Dan picked up on the third ring. “Yello?”

“Did you actually just say _yello_?”

“I warned you not to judge me,” Dan berated, although Phil could hear warmth behind his tone.

“Well, yeah, but you said _yello_ …”

“Shut up. Literally.” Dan chuckled down the line. “Did you just call to have a go at me, or did you want something?”

“Well.” Phil stretched out on the sofa, suddenly nervous. He played with the hem of his shirt. “Um. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up again?”

“That keen for more already, are we?”

“No, that isn’t – I didn’t – ”

Dan gave a small laugh. “It’s fine, Phil. And you can come over again if you like.”

“Yes please,” Phil answered immediately, then paused. “Actually. No. Let’s go out somewhere.”

“Out?”

“Yeah. Like, out out.”

Surprise sounded down the line before Dan spoke again. “Like, a date, out?”

“Yeah.” Phil shifted on the sofa, chewing his lip. “I mean. Only if you want.”

“I – yeah.” Dan’s voice shook a little, but grew firmer the more he spoke. “Yeah. I think I’d like to go on a date with you.”

Warmth flooded Phil’s chest at that. He smiled. “I’d like to go on a date with you, too.”

A charged silence settled between them for a moment, before Phil spoke up again. “So, um, shall I come get you at 7?”

“You’re picking me up and everything?” Dan snickered. “I’m flattered. My hook-ups don’t normally do this.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Phil responded all in a rush. “I don’t. Um. Do that.”

Silence again before Dan let out a surprised laugh. “No offence, but I’m pretty sure that’s how we met, Phil.”

“No, yeah, I know,” Phil was quick to answer. “But, like. I don’t normally.”

“Oh.” Dan sounded floored again. “Well. I guess I’m even more flattered.”

“Uh. Yeah.” Phil shifted. “So I’ll come get you at 7?”

“Yes, please.”

“Ok. So I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah.” Warmth was back in Dan’s tone. “Yeah, see you then.”

Phil hung up with a smile, then realised he didn’t have long left to get himself ready, and he jumped up and hurried into his room.

—

7 o’clock rolled around, and Phil found himself getting off the bus stop by Dan’s flat and retracing his steps back towards Dan’s building. The route wasn’t that familiar, and he’d only been there once before, so it wasn’t _that_ surprising that it took him four attempts and three wrong turnings to actually find Dan’s building. As a result, he was a few minutes late, and hit the buzzer with a tight knot of apprehension sitting in his stomach.

Dan answered quickly, and told Phil to wait and that he’d be down in a moment. So Phil hovered outside, nervously tugging at his shirt and trying to look like he belonged there. There were a few people out and about on the streets, making Phil even more self-conscious. He was more relieved than he should probably admit when Dan appeared at the door.

And Dan was resplendent. He was wearing all back, but his clothes were fancy, far and away above Phil’s budget. What did Dan even do, to afford that? Phil realised, a little belatedly, that he actually knew very little about this hot stranger he was taking out.

Though, he supposed that was _why_ he was taking him out.

“Hey,” Phil spoke at last, realising that he’d just been silently staring at Dan for a little longer than was appropriate. “You look – um – pretty incredible, if I’m honest.”

Dan lifted a brow, but his mouth tightened as if he was holding back a grin. “Thanks. You scrub up pretty nice too, Phil.”

Phil glowed, and then tried to hide it.

They went out for a meal, to a restaurant Phil knew and often took his parents to when they were down visiting him. The place was busy enough, but its music was tastefully quiet and the staff knew when to leave them alone, so Phil liked being able to tuck himself into a corner and hide from the world for a while. And here he was, hiding away in a corner with Dan.

Dan started with questions almost as soon as they were seated. “So, Phil. What’s your last name?”

Phil blinked. “Oh. Huh. Guess we never got that far before, did we?”

“Nope.” Dan’s eyes were glittering, their brown depths warm.

“Huh. Well. It’s Lester.”

“Philip Lester.” Dan leaned back a little, surveying Phil closely. “And what do you do, Philip Lester?”

“Wait, wait,” Phil shook his head, “Tell me your name first.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! It’s only fair.”

“Ugh. Alright.” Dan was interrupted by the waiter bringing their drinks over, and waited for them to be alone again before he answered. “I’m Daniel Howell.”

“Howell.” Phil sipped at his drink, contemplating Dan closely. “It suits you.”

“Um. Thanks?” Dan shook his head, a smirk quirking his lips up. “I guess?”

Phil aimed a kick at him under the table.

“So come on,” Dan picked up his drink, gaze set intently on Phil, “What do you do, Lester?”

“I’m a police officer.”

Dan choked.

Phil leaned forward, alarmed, as Dan went very red-faced and coughed loudly, shaking fingers setting his glass carefully back on the table. After an awkwardly long stretch of time, he regained his breath enough to gasp out, “What?”

“Um.” Phil’s hands fluttered pointlessly on the table. “I’m a police officer. Are you ok?”

“I – yeah.” Dan waved a hand, coughing once more. “I’m fine, just – went down the wrong way.”

“Want me to get help?”

“No, no, I’m fine.” Dan regained his breath, sitting up a little, and his expression had sharpened right up. “I just. Didn’t expect that to be your job.”

A crease appeared in Phil’s brow. “Why not?”

“Just doesn’t seem very … you.”

“Excuse you,” Phil huffed, “I’ll have you know I’m capable of great manliness.”

Dan snorted. “Oh, believe me, I know. But I just didn’t think police officers would have such a strong affiliation with Totoro.”

Phil couldn’t help but laugh, and any remaining tension between them slid away. His shoulders relaxed as he answered. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think the tall, dark, and handsome guy at the bar would have Totoro toys on full display in his bedroom.”

“You loved it and you know it.”

“I did,” Phil answered solemnly. “OK, so what do you do?”

“Oh, y’know,” Dan waved a hand vaguely. “Some stuff. In IT, mostly.”

“Like a technician?”

“Sort of, yeah.”

“That’s very cool,” Phil enthused. “We have a tech analyst at work – Emily – and I’m always trying to get her to teach me stuff. She says I’m rubbish with technology, though.”

Dan arched a brow. “You’re rubbish with technology?”

“Well, she says I am, but I think I’m not half bad actually.”

“I hope you’re right,” Dan answered gravely, “Because otherwise this thing is not going to work, Phil. I can’t be assosciated with someone who’s _bad_ with _technology._ ”

Phil grinned at him. “Well, if you teach me, then I won’t be.”

“Deal.”

They spent the rest of the evening in pleasant conversation, tossing casual insults and easy teasing back and forth between them, chewing over their meals. Dan ordered some fancy kind of salad that Phil couldn’t pronounce, and Phil kept it simple with his favourite type of Bolognese, to which Dan just lifted his eyes heavenwards.

Conversation was easy between them, but so were the silences, and Phil found himself thinking that being with Dan was just like being with someone he’d known his entire life. Dan was even more quick-witted than he remembered, and conversing with him was a little like conversing with a tornado; fast and always on the edge of dangerous, but Phil was finding he liked the thrill.

So he wasn’t too surprised when, after he’d paid (Phil insisted, despite Dan’s protests), and headed back out into the cool London night, Dan invited him back to his place and Phil readily agreed.

On the walk back through the streets, Dan knocked his fingers against Phil’s wrist and leaned into his side, a lot closer than was necessary on the wide pavement. Phil’s fingers itched to reach out and take his hand, to pull him close, breathe in his scent again and feel lips on skin, but they were still in public and Phil really wasn’t much of an exhibitionist. So he swallowed down his urges, at least until they were back at Dan’s flat.

“I had a really good time,” Dan began as they headed through the streets, “You’re entertaining, Lester. Even for a cop.”

“Hey,” Phil huffed indignantly, “There’s nothing boring about being a police officer. It’s all like living in a TV show. All the time.”

Dan laughed – a true, bright, hearty laugh that crinkled up his eyes and stretched his lips wide, and Phil was captivated for a moment, staring at him.

“Still,” Dan continued when he’d recovered a little, “I do wonder what a cop’s home is like.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, are you even real people? Do you actually live in jail cells? Do you ever leave the police station? So many questions.”

“Clearly.” Phil chuckled. “Well, we can always go back to mine, then. If you like.”

Dan looked at him appraisingly. “Yeah?”

“Sure, I’m only, like, twenty minutes away.”

“Then let’s go.”

So Phil directed their steps, grasping Dan’s wrist to lead him along the right way. Dan followed close by his side, and eventually pulled out of Phil’s grip just to entwine their fingers instead. Phil couldn’t hold back a smile at this shift, giving Dan’s hand a gentle squeeze. Dan sent him a sunny smirk in return.

When they got back to Phil’s flat, he offered to make hot drinks, which Dan accepted. As it turned out, though, he barely got through filling the kettle and switching it on before Dan was on him, pressing him against the counter with his lips once more against Phil’s.

They ended up lying in a tangle on Phil’s bed, and Phil could hardly say he was unhappy with events.

—

_He’s a fucking cop._

Dan’s thoughts were turning in hazy circles in his head, a mush of overthinking, over-analysing, and exhaustion from their recent activities. He was lying in Phil’s bed, staring up at the ceiling, with a curled-up Phil snoring softly by his side, the covers thrown lazily over their lower limbs.

Dan pressed the heel of his free hand to his eyes, squeezing them shut. A _fucking_ cop. He should have known that all of this was too good to be true – Dan didn’t _do_ dating, but Phil had seemed so different. Entertaining, and easy to be around, and a total nerd. He laughed at Dan’s sarcasm, he texted and called promptly, he gave the best hugs Dan had ever experienced in his life, and he was all-round _nice._ Dan had very little nice in his life. He was full of sharp edges – Phil rounded him out.

Or he would do, if he wasn’t a _shitting police officer._

Dan cursed under his breath. He shifted just a little in the unfamiliar bed, sitting up as much as he could with the weight of Phil’s arm slung across his abdomen. It was just so _unfair._ This warmth of Phil beside him, the companionable breathing in the room, the accompanying scent of another person, it all felt so _right._ Dan rarely found other people he could even tolerate, let alone actually enjoy being around. But the date with Phil had been wonderful. Phil was dorky, but funny, and Dan actually felt a tug in his chest when Phil’s bright eyes pinned him in place with a steady gaze. Phil always seemed to look right through him.

Which could never be good. Because Dan could _not_ afford for anyone to figure out who he was. Least of all a fucking _cop_.

This was all kinds of a bad idea.

And yet, Dan was still considering it. He was fairly sure, from Phil’s actions, that Phil was at least partially interested in seeing him again. And Dan had been entertaining the idea of a relationship – a relationship full of lies, obviously, because Dan could never trust someone with the truth of his job – but a relationship nonetheless. He _wanted_ Phil. He wanted to wake up with him, to eat with him, to go through the daily motions of life with him.

Only now, he couldn’t risk it, could he? Because there was no way a hacker like him could risk getting involved with anyone in the force. Just no. It would never work.

…Even if Dan might actually get insight into how the force dealt with the investigation. He was sure they had at least noticed him by now. He’d seen the news reports calling for any information on a hacker known only as the Howler.

What if Phil was actually one of the people hunting him down?

That would be a beautiful kind of irony really, wouldn’t it? Dan almost got a kick out of contemplating that possibility. He glanced down at the man sleeping beside him, the way Phil’s hair seemed to defy gravity in his sleep, pushing up against the pillow. It tickled Dan’s bare side, soft and pliant, and with his eyes closed Phil seemed a lot more relaxed. He’d paused earlier to take his contacts out, explaining to Dan that falling asleep in them was akin to filling his eyes with sandpaper, which sounded unnecessarily painful a comparison to Dan. The sight of Phil in glasses had not been something Dan was prepared for, though, and he’d ended up jumping Phil into another round before they finally fell asleep.

Or, Phil had. Dan had tossed and turned for several tiresome minutes before his churning thoughts got the better of him, and here he was, sitting up in someone else’s bed, torn in a dilemma.

He should probably just go home. Dan was reluctant to admit it, but he knew it would probably be for the best. The truth, when it came down to it, was that Phil was obviously a good, upright person with a good, upright life, and anything Dan did would only ruin that for him. Either he’d have to lie to Phil endlessly – which made Dan’s stomach twist in a wierd, unfamiliar, and largely unwelcome way – or he’d have to tell the truth, and Phil would likely have him thrown in prison before he even got two sentences strung together.

Neither of those scenarios sounded particularly appealing.

Dan released a muffled groan into his fingers, his hands covering his face. Of all the sticky situations he’d got himself into throughout his long and varied career, this was the first where he honestly had no idea what to do. What he _wanted_ was to stay with Phil – at least, to continue this whatever-it-was, to see where it led, what they could be. He wanted to have more mornings waking up beside Phil. Phil was a pleasant presence in his bed, by his side, warm and comforting and content, and Dan craved it in a way he’d never expected to.

But even Dan’s limited morals were called into severe question.

Of course, with Phil being a cop, he could well have information on Dan’s case. But could Dan really use him like that? Dan, as a rule, did not like using people. His clients often had genuine grievances that the law couldn’t help with, so Dan liked to see himself as a bit of a vigilante, taking on the big bosses, speaking up for the little people. Using Phil to get inside knowledge left him with a sour taste in his mouth.

Though, maybe, if it helped him to help more people…

 _Fuck this._ Dan flopped back down onto Phil’s pillows, momentarily disturbing the man beside him. Phil merely gave a little (and far too adorable) squeak before rolling closer, tightening his grip around Dan’s abdomen and pushing his face into the crook of Dan’s neck. His hair tickled, and Dan would have pushed him away, but the sudden warmth was oddly … comforting.

 _Oh, to hell with all of this_. Dan pushed away all of his worries, deciding that he could grapple with his morals at a later date. For right now, he wanted to enjoy having a hot, nice guy in the same bed as him.

So Dan rolled over, wrapped his arms around Phil, and cuddled up to him under the blankets.

—

The next morning, Phil woke with a newly familiar scent coating his senses. He shifted with a low groan, not really wanting to leave this dreamy half-state he found himself in. Something warm was wrapped around him, and there was a pleasant movement by his hair, so Phil allowed himself to relax and nuzzle closer to the warmth. His arms tightened, meeting something squishy.

Something squishy that _squeaked._

Phil paused in his movements for a moment, startled.

And then the entire bed shifted.

Something warm tightened around him, and a low, sultry chuckle sounded right by his ear. “If you’re gonna cuddle, Lester, try not to hit me in the face.”

_Huh?_

Phil blinked his eyes open, creasing them to try and get the blurry shapes to focus, and almost jumped out of his skin when another warm face was right next to his. Dan was staring right at him, a sardonic grin lifting one corner of his mouth. Their limbs were tangled together under Phil’s twisted bedsheets, and Dan’s scent was everywhere; on his pillows, on his skin, beneath his fingers.

The sight knocked all the air out of Phil’s stomach.

Phil closed his eyes again, gave a low hum, and pressed his face back into Dan’s chest. He felt Dan shift a little, probably settling more onto his back, and his arms came around Phil to hold him gently in place. Another low chuckle sounded in Phil’s ear. “Not that I’m complaining, or anything, but aren’t you working today?”

“Oh.” Phil’s voice came out lower than he expected, still gruff with sleep. He buried his face closer into Dan’s chest. “Probably. Don’t really care right now.”

Another low chuckle rumbled under Dan’s skin, and something in Phil’s chest tugged. _Shit_. He was in deep now, but he was too sleep-numb to bring himself to care right now. In the warmth of Dan’s arms, it felt like nothing in the outside world mattered.

Dan shifted a little beneath him. His thumb stroked up and down Phil’s back, his head rested near Phil’s, his other hand shifting to idly run through Phil’s hair. His voice sounded, barely above a whisper. “You have the weirdest hair in the mornings.”

“Ugh. I know.” Phil swatted him away half-heartedly. “I need my straighteners.”

“Don’t even talk to me about straighteners. At least you don’t have curls.”

“Yeah.” Phil pressed his nose into the crook of Dan’s neck, but then drew back, his brow furrowing. “Wait. Do you have curls?”

“…Maybe.”

Phil leaned back, blinking his eyes open just far enough to peek another look at Dan. Dan had his own eyes shut now, and his face was much smoother and relaxed, his sharply angular features softened in the early morning sunlight. His hair was, indeed, a mess of curls, flopping out around his head as he lay against Phil’s pillow. That something in Phil’s stomach tugged again, and warmth spread through his chest.

Unable to hold back a little hum of happiness, Phil lifted a hand and toyed with the edge of Dan’s curls. They were soft under his fingers, springing back when he released them, and he was grinning before he knew it.

Dan opened one tired eye to fix Phil with a plaintive stare. “Are you actually a child?”

“You were the one who brought it up,” Phil pointed out, “So now you have to deal with the consequences.”

“You _are_ actually a child.” Dan swatted him away, twisting his face into the pillow. “Ugh. Get off me, you giant lump of a human.”

“I’m almost offended.”

“Good.”

Phil snickered, shifting on Dan’s chest until he was settled on his front and could get both his hands tangled in Dan’s hair. Dan swatted him again. “Don’t you have to work?”

“You’re so keen to get me out of bed.”

“You’re a cop; you can’t set a bad example.”

Phil thought for a minute, but he didn’t really have a response for that one. So, with a groan, he leaned over Dan (amid many huffs of complaint) to snatch up his phone from the bedside table, blinking blearily at the time. Two minutes until his alarm went off. Ugh.

“Alright, fine,” Phil grumbled, giving Dan’s side a shove, “Annoyingly, you’re right.”

“I usually am.” Dan let out a loud yawn.

Phil rolled his eyes, but sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and stretching up into the air. He stumbled to his feet, fumbling around for his glasses. “So I have work. Feel free to stay here, though. Just don’t burn down my flat.”

Dan snorted. “What do you take me for?”

“I dunno. Something something arson.” Phil finally retrieved his glasses and stumbled towards his bathroom, flapping a hand in Dan’s direction. “Stay there. I’ll be back.”

“Hopefully more awake,” Dan snorted, but Phil was already gone.

When he returned several minutes later, dressed and with coffee in hand, Dan was asleep again. Phil smiled at him fondly from the doorway. Briefly, he wondered if he could just leave Dan to sleep while he went out for work, but he figured he should at least leave Dan some instructions for being in his flat. He could just write a note, but where was the fun in that? So Phil went to the bed, set the coffee carefully on the bedside table, and gave Dan’s shoulder a shake. “Hey. Wake up again,”

Dan groaned, swatting at Phil.

“Come on.” Phil hummed enticingly. “I made you coffee and everything.”

“You’re literally the worst person in the universe.”

“For making you coffee?”

“For waking me up far too early. _Twice.”_ Dan blinked open bleary eyes and glared at Phil.

Phil chuckled. “Not a morning person, then.”

“The _hell,”_ Dan yawned widely, “Is a morning person?”

“I’ll take that as a no.” Phil pointed at the coffee mug, then straightened up. “Anyway, I should have left for work ten minutes ago probably, so I’ve got to go, but feel free to stay. Um. There are spare keys on the kitchen table, lock up if you have to leave for any reason and then come back to give me them. Assuming you don’t have work, or somewhere to be?”

Dan shook his head mid-sip. He lowered the scalding cup and fixed Phil with an interested look. “You trust me this much already?”

“Well.” Phil shrugged, shifting on his feet. “I mean, it’d be rude of me to just lock you in here. Or kick you out right now.”

Dan was silent for a few moments before a smile lifted his lips – a true smile, not a smirk. “True.”

“So I’d better be going, but I’ll see you? I guess?”

“You will.”

“Good.” Phil stood awkwardly for another few seconds, uncertain on the etiquette here. In the end, he leaned forward and ruffled Dan’s curly hair again. “See you.”

“ _Don’t_ touch my hair!”

Phil simply laughed, dodging out of his room.

Dan watched him go with the slightest smile still tugging at his lips and a warm mug of coffee in his hands. He heard Phil scuffling about in the other room for a bit, and then the front door shut and there was the sound of the lock turning.

Dan stayed upright for a little longer, and then he set the coffee mug on the side and collapsed back into the sheets. _How_ did he get himself in this situation? Waking up in this bed with Phil by his side felt like the most natural thing in the world. Wrapping his arms around Phil, pulling him close, nuzzling into him – that all felt natural. But it _wasn’t_ natural. Not to someone like Dan. Dan shouldn’t be getting involved with anyone, least of all a _cop_.

Dan groaned. He shoved his face into the pillow, inhaling deeply, and every scent reminded him of Phil. The sheets were still warm from when they lay there together, and Phil’s belongings were scattered about the room, covering every available surface. There was a small cactus on the desk, reaching up towards the window, and a large collection of DVDs on the shelf. Dan recognised several of the titles; a mix of anime and horror, of all things. The majority of one shelf was taken up by a Buffy the Vampire Slayer boxset. Dan snorted gently – trust him to end up with a nerd.

After a few lazy minutes, Dan sat himself back up again, reaching for his mug. The coffee was a little sweeter than he was used to, but then, so was Phil, so he supposed it suited. Dan finished the drink, lost in his thoughts, and then scrambled up to his feet and hunted down his clothes from the messy pile strewn across Phil’s bedroom floor. He fished his phone out of his pocket and settled back onto the bed.

A quick check showed him he didn’t have any more pressing jobs for today – a few more interested clients contacting him on his anonymous messenger service, but that was it. Dan settled himself into Phil’s pillows to reply, and he had to admit, he got a bit of a kick out of conducting his less-than-legal business from a police officer’s bed.

He resolutely pushed away any of his clamouring morals.

Speaking of, Dan was currently in a cop’s flat. He’d be stupid not to take advantage of this opportunity. So once he was done with replying, Dan got back to his feet and started to hunt through Phil’s flat.

Turned out there wasn’t much to find, though Dan should have expected as much – Phil wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave details of his cases around the in the open. There was a planner on the desk, full of dates of meetings and upcoming events, from which Dan gathered that Phil was already a sergeant. Surprising - he didn’t look much older than Dan, though Dan supposed he could be. Having looked through the bedroom, Dan moved through into the other rooms, exploring. Phil’s flat was a bit smaller than Dan’s – it only had the bedroom, a kitchen and living space, and a bathroom – and there were bits of clutter everywhere. The kitchen had all the cupboard doors open, which explained why Dan had found his own kitchen in disarray after Phil had been in there. Dan closed the doors for him, unable to fathom leaving them open.

The kitchen/sitting room wrought no new clues, aside from telling Dan that Phil was a big gamer. The majority of the sitting room was taken up with wires and consoles. Phil’s laptop sat flashing on his sofa, clearly left in standby.

Dan bit his lip.

Should he take a look?

It would be easy as anything for him to hack into Phil’s computer – that was literally his job, after all – but should he? That would be a true invasion of Phil’s privacy. Dan was a guest here, and believe it or not, he _did_ have some manners. Breaking into Phil’s laptop would be more of a breach than anything Dan had done so far.

On the other hand, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get his hands on a police officer’s files.

Dan gnawed at his inner cheek, deliberating, before moving towards the laptop with a determined nod. Phil would never find out, and what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?

Right?

Dan pushed his morals away to the back of his head, locked the door, and settled himself onto Phil’s couch. He pulled Phil’s laptop onto his lap and hesitated for one more second before opening the lid.

It wasn’t like he was doing any _real_ harm.

Phil’s laptop was more disorganised than Dan would have liked. His desktop was full of tiny little icons, his files all arranged in strange orders and labelled things like ‘stuff 4’ and ‘things’. Dan spent a few minutes hunting through his files, but all he found were some application forms for the police force, signed ‘Sergeant Lester’ – so he _was_ a sergeant. In fact, the most important thing Dan found was an advertisement for a new Inspector that Phil had saved. Maybe he was looking for a promotion, then?

Dan clicked through the rest of the files, skimming through the information, until one folder caught his eye. It was entitled ‘Main Case’.

With trepidation in his gut, Dan clicked on the icon.

The folder popped up, and suddenly he was flooded with file after file after file. Word documents, scanned evidence, graphs linking up several case names – each one popped up, seemingly at random. The Winter case, Grovenor V. Platt, The Filemores…

Dan froze.

Filemore?

He clicked on the file, eyes narrowing, and saw that it had been updated just yesterday, and contained details of a case involving Hank Filemore. Phil had added his own note underneath the information – ‘Howler??’.

 _Shit_.

Dan pushed away from the laptop, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. _His case._

Phil knew his pseudonym. 

Worse, he suspected Dan’s involvement in the Filemore case. And a quick scan through the rest of the names all rang a bell for Dan – they were all the cases that he’d worked on, going back just over a year. Dan had been in operation a little longer than that, but it seemed the police only went back this far. They mustn’t have linked the cases before then to him.

But for Phil to have this file named ‘Main Case’ – did that mean Phil was one of the officers searching specifically for Dan? _Shit._ Dan was going to have to start being more careful. If Phil got even a hint that Dan was actually the Howler, then Dan was sure he wouldn’t hesitate to lock him away. In fact, that would probably help Phil get his promotion.

Well, Dan was going to have to keep a close eye on Phil now.

Dan chewed his lip, surveying the laptop carefully. He had two options, the way he saw it – he could stay near Phil, keep an eye on him, and make sure to keep any aspect of his true identity hidden.

Or he could run away right now, shut this laptop, remove any trace he’d ever been here, and walk out of Phil’s life for good. Just ignore his texts and calls, if there were any. It wouldn’t be that hard.

But Dan’s stomach twisted at the very idea.

He scrunched his face up, releasing a low groan. _Why_ did _Phil_ of all people have to be one of the cops after him? Why couldn’t Phil have just been, he didn’t know, a bus driver? Or a cleaner? Something humble, where he could be part of Dan’s life without ever suspecting anything. Instead, if Dan wanted to keep Phil around, he was going to have to watch his every move not to give himself away.

Well, Dan was smart, wasn’t he? After all, the police had been on him for over a year and they still had absolutely no idea who he was. Hell, Dan was _sitting in a cop’s flat_ and they _still_ didn’t know who he was.

Dan had to admit, that fed his ego a bit.

So why should he give this up?

Yes, Dan thought. He’d been fine so far. There was no reason at all he couldn’t continue with this new, fun … _thing_ with Phil. Phil didn’t suspect anything so far. Dan would just have to make sure it stayed that way.

Mind made up, and his stomach much more settled, Dan picked up Phil’s laptop again and casually wiped the history he’d left on it. He paused before shutting it down, deliberating, before opening up the settings and enabling remote access for his own, personal laptop back in his own flat. That way, Dan could keep an eye on Phil’s laptop without having to actually open it up again, in case Phil walked in and caught him.

That done, Dan put the laptop back down, making sure to shut it down completely. He checked the room to make sure that everything was back where he’d found it. It wouldn’t do to have Phil start suspecting him from the first time Dan was alone in his flat.

When he was satisfied, Dan gave a contented nod and went in search of an anime DVD to keep him company until Phil got home.


	2. Growing Suspicions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is like the (sort of) angsty second part, and it’s 12k words, soooo grab a hot drink of choice before you start (I recommend hot chocolate, personally). Also apologies for the technical inaccuracies. I apologise if any of you are hackers and know how woefully ignorant I am. Sorry

PART 2

Phil’s day at work was horribly hectic. Hank Filemore was still in custody, but he wasn’t making their job easy. He remained adamant that he was innocent, that he’d been set up, and that someone else must have planted those images on his computer and so they had no right to keep him in. Phil would have sympathised with him, if the man didn’t swear at every single person who tried to assist him.

As Inspector Johnston informed their team, they only had 48 hours in which to keep Hank Filemore in before they needed to either release him or charge him, so time was of the essence. They needed something more gripping than just the images – proof that they were planted, or proof that they originated with the laptop. Otherwise they would have no choice but to charge Hank Filemore by default, and the Howler would get away with a case again. Phil narrowed his eyes. He was going to do everything in his power not to allow that to happen. Whether or not Hank Filemore was a good man, Phil was _certain_ the Howler had planted those images. He had to find proof before the sneaky bastard slipped through his fingers _again._

So he spent most of the day with Emily, trying to figure out anything in the technology that linked up with other suspected Howler cases, with little to no luck. The day was endlessly frustrating until Inspector Johnston came to collect Phil, taking him out in a marked car again.

“We might have a lead,” he informed, “But that’s a tentative ‘might’.”

“Yeah?” Phil questioned with interest.

“Yeah. Filemore told us his nephew recently got written out of the company – lost a lot of inheritance, apparently. That gives us motive enough, so I thought it’d be worth having a little chat with him.”

“I see.” Phil pursed his lips, thinking. “How recently?”

“In the last two weeks.”

“So that fits with the Howler’s usual time frame.”

“Yep.” Inspector Johnston flicked on the indicator, pulling into a long drive leading up to a large, expansive white house on the outskirts of London. “I’ll take the lead here. Just listen and take notes.”

Phil nodded.

Hank Filemore’s nephew was called Samuel, and he lived with his wife and young son in a large, plush house out in one of the richer suburbs of London. Leafy trees lined the road, and their driveway was expansive. Once they got inside, Phil seated himself in a chintzy armchair in a corner of the room and got out his notebook, pen poised and at the ready as he listened to his boss question Samuel Filemore.

“My uncle is a jealous bastard,” Samuel spat. “He cut me out for no reason!”

“Jealousy, you say?” Inspector Johnston asked.

“Yes! I’ve made five times more deals than him, just in the past four months!”

“If you’re such a good worker, sir, why would he cut you out?”

“So he doesn’t have to pay up,” Samuel growled. “He owes me two months’ pay, and he fired me without any redundancy or anything. My son is barely two years old. My uncle’s the one in the wrong here, not me!”

“I hear you, sir,” Inspector Johnston lifted a placating hand, “But you must understand, you’re part of our investigations now. You uncle has accused you of planting false images on his computer. Is that true?”

“Of course not.” Samuel’s face paled, but otherwise he showed no visible sign of distress. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Were you aware that your uncle was caught with unsavoury images on his personal computer?”

“…I had no idea.”

“We had an anonymous tip.” Inspector Johnston eyed him closely. “Would you know anything about that?”

Samuel licked his lips and shook his head. “I don’t think I can help you.”

Phil looked between him and the Inspector, pursing his own lips. He, for one, wasn’t convinced by Samuel’s performance. There was no doubt he had motive, and his eyes flicked all around the room, never settling on either of them for longer than a few seconds at a time. Plus, the house was very richly furnished for someone who claimed to have just lost their job.

After a moment, Inspector Johnston cleared his throat. “Sir, I just have one more question for you, and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Of course.”

The Inspector cast one quick look over at Phil before turning back to Samuel. “Does the name ‘the Howler’ mean anything to you?”

The reaction was minute, but instantaneous. Samuel’s eyes widened, his lips parted, and he swallowed quietly, his fingers clenching in the hem of his shirt. A beat later, he cleared his throat. “The – the who?”

“The Howler.”

“Never heard of the guy.” Samuel shrugged his shoulders, his gaze flicking around the room again. “Sorry, can’t help you.”

Phil narrowed his eyes.

“…Alright.” Inspector Johnston got to his feet after another moment, Phil hurriedly following suit. “Thank you for your time, sir. We’ll be in touch if we need more from you.”

“Of course.” Samuel shook both of their hands, showing them to the door. It snapped shut behind them as soon as they were through the threshold.

Phil turned to the Inspector as soon as they were back in the car. “Did you buy any of that?”

“Not a word,” Inspector Johnston shook his head. “But nothing concrete, as per. I’m sure this is the Howler, Sergeant, but I don’t see how we’re ever going to prove it.”

A deep crease appeared in Phil’s brow as the car pulled away, heading back for the station. The Inspector was right – there was nothing concrete to catch him with, no trace leading back to him. The Howler was too clever for that.

Phil begrudgingly admitted that the guy was a genius, whoever he was.

—

Dan whiled away the hours Phil was at work by watching Fullmetal Alchemist in Phil’s flat, curled up in a corner of his sofa. He’d borrowed one of Phil’s hoodies, assuming the other guy wouldn’t mind – the only clothes Dan had here were the rather dressy things he’d worn on their date the night before, and he wanted to get comfy. He was just contemplating raiding Phil’s kitchen when his phone buzzed incessantly from his pocket.

Irritated, Dan glanced down at it. A message from his anonymous inbox flashed up – a client, then. The header was marked ‘URGENT, PLS RESPOND’.

Dan furrowed his brow, paused the DVD, and pulled up the message.

_-_

_From: Samuel Filemore_

_To: The Howler_

_URGENT_

_The police were just here. Asked about you. What do I do?!_

-

Dan cursed under his breath.

_-_

_From: The Howler_

_To: Samuel Filemore_

_I’m assuming you weren’t stupid enough to tell them anything._

_-_

_From: Samuel Filemore_

_To: The Howler_

_Of course not! But they knew your name without me telling them. Could they know?!_

-

Dan lifted his eyes heavenwards. Dense clients would be the end of him one day, honestly. Half the time it felt as if Dan had to run around putting out panic fires rather than actually doing his job – the hacking was the easy part.

_-_

_From: The Howler_

_To: Samuel Filemore_

_Of course not. Drop off the USB drive today instead of the morning. Get it there within the hour._

_-_

_From: Samuel Filemore_

_To: The Howler_

_I’ll have it there in twenty minutes_

_-_

Dan snorted under his breath. That was always the way – clients wanted rid of any incriminating evidence as soon as the job was done. Dan’s standard practise was to give clients a USB drive with information of how to contact him on – it was the safest way he knew to make sure they weren’t trying to play him. If the client had incriminating evidence in their possession, then they wouldn’t go to the police, and Dan only got it back once the job was done and he’d been paid. In this case, it suited Dan, though. He could nip out of Phil’s flat, collect the USB drive from the drop-off point, and then he’d be back before Phil got home from work. Assuming everything went without a hitch.

But he had time for another episode first.

So Dan curled up in the corner of the sofa again and hit play, relaxing into the cushions. He tried to bury himself in the show, but his mind was churning with worry.

Had Phil been one of the officers questioning Filemore?

Would he link the case to Dan?

Would he kick Dan out, or arrest him, or drag him down to the station and abandon him forever?

Dan’s teeth worried at his lip as he forced himself to focus back on the anime.

—

When Phil finally got off his shift, he headed straight back to his apartment. Part of him was hoping that Dan would still be there – he’d had an intensely frustrating day, and some cuddles with a hot guy would certainly make it better – but the other half of him was sternly telling himself not to be so ridiculous. There was no reason Dan would have wanted to hang out in his apartment all day long. He probably had much better things to be doing with his time.

So Phil was only slightly disappointed when he unlocked his door to find his flat empty.

His possessions were all in place – although the bed was still unmade, he noticed with a wry smile – and his cupboard doors had been closed. Phil dumped his badge and shrugged out of his uniform, changing into more comfortable clothes – although one of his favourite hoodies was gone. And Dan’s shirt was still on his bedroom floor. Phil stared fondly at the material for far too long until he remembered that he was no longer a schoolboy and he really should get himself together.

He was holding a mug of coffee and settled in front of the TV – which had a fullmetal alchemist DVD playing that Phil definitely hadn’t seen in months, so presumably that was Dan – when the sound of his front door opening made Phil jump.

He twisted his head around, eyes wide, and relaxed when he saw Dan’s familiar form in the door.

Dan paused when he saw Phil, blinking. “What are you doing here?”

“Believe it or not, Dan,” Phil snorted, “I actually live here.”

Dan made a face. He dropped Phil’s spare keys back into their place on the table and then launched himself onto the sofa, sprawling out beside Phil. Phil lifted an arm, and after a quick look, Dan curled up against his side with a low sigh. “I know that, dork. I thought you’d still be at work.”

“Got off at 4.” Phil spoke through a yawn. He laid his arm across Dan’s shoulders and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of Dan against his chest. “Thought you might have gone home.”

“And abandon your anime collection? I don’t think so.”

“Oh, I see how it is.”

“Yes, obviously I’m only using you for your DVDs.” Dan’s voice rumbled sarcastically against Phil’s shirt, and he lightly rested his hand on Phil’s thigh.

Phil breathed out a sigh. “Well, I’m glad you’re still here. I need cuddles.”

Dan snorted. “Are you actually five?”

“Don’t judge me. Some of us have had to work all day.” Phil tugged Dan stubbornly closer. “Plus, you stole my hoody, so I’m allowed to demand your attention for the rest of the night.”

“The rest of the night?”

“Yep.” Phil laid his head against Dan’s curly hair. “Unless you have somewhere to be?”

Dan’s tone was warm as he replied. “Nothing that can’t wait.”

They stayed cuddled up on the sofa, idly watching some more fullmetal alchemist. Dan pressed his head further into Phil’s chest, shifting inconspicuously to make sure the USB drive now concealed inside his pocket remained that way – concealed. A little thrill ran through him when he realised that evidence proclaiming him as the Howler was literally within Phil’s reach right now. And yet, when he was relaxed beside Phil, it didn’t even feel like it should matter anymore. All that mattered was Phil’s warmth, and the gentle thud of his heartbeat, and the way his arms settled so comfortably around Dan’s thin form.

After a while, Phil paused the DVD to ask Dan if he wanted to get takeout, to which Dan enthusiastically agreed.

It was later, when they were sitting among the remains of pizza boxes, that Dan gathered up his courage to fix Phil with a keen stare. “So did you have a tough day at work?”

“Hm?” Phil spoke around a mouthful.

“You seem even more cuddly than normal.” Dan gestured to the way their limbs were still entangled, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Unless this is normal, and I’ve accidentally become embroiled with some kind of cuddle monster…”

“Hey.” Phil gave his side a light shove. “I mean, I _am_ a bit of a cuddler, but yeah. Tough day. We can stop if you want…”

“No, no, it’s nice,” Dan assured him. He paused for a moment, assessing the situation, before daring to continue, “I just wondered if something was bothering you.”

Phil released a heavy sigh. Unexpectedly, he dropped the pizza box and drew Dan closer, nuzzling his head into Dan’s shoulder. “Just a frustrating day. We were interviewing this witness – well, suspect, really – but we’ve got nothing on him.”

Dan’s heart leapt into his mouth. He kept his tone as normal as he could. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Like.” Phil shifted a little, curling up into Dan. “I’m _certain_ he knows the Howler – this hacker we’ve been after for ages, it’s my biggest case – but there’s no way to get him to crack. And there’s no evidence.”

“None at all?”

“Nope.” Phil shook his head. “Whoever the Howler is, I have to admit, he’s good. I’ve got a mountain of cases I think might be down to him, but there’s never any evidence. He doesn’t leave a trace.”

Dan allowed himself an inward cheer. He kept his face as smooth as he could – it was one thing to work out that Phil was after him, but another thing entirely to hear it spoken out loud. He hummed, prodding in another area of interest. “So you’re a pretty high up police officer, then?”

“Well, not really.” Phil made a face. “I’m a Sergeant.”

Dan arched a brow. “Aren’t you a little young for that? How old even are you?”

Phil batted at him. “I’m 29, so hardly. I’d love to get Inspector some day.”

_And I could help you, if you caught me,_ Dan mused. _Not that that’s ever going to happen._ He grinned, saying aloud, “29, such an old man.”

Phil narrowed his eyes. “You can’t be much younger.”

“I’m 24, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

Phil turned an inquisitive glance on him, pale eyes staring intensely. Dan almost shifted under that gaze. Instead, he painted a wide smirk across his lips, arching one brow back at Phil. “What, am I making you feel your age?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s ok if you feel threatened, Lester.”

“ _Actually_ shut up.” Phil gave him a half-hearted shove, but Dan just chuckled and curled up closer into his arms. “Anyway. Enough about me. What about you? Do you even go to work?”

Whoops. Dangerous ground. Dan froze for half a second before coughing, turning his face away to nestle back into Phil’s shoulder. “Work from home, actually.”

“Is that where you nipped out to earlier?”

“Yep.” Dan lied smoothly, playing with the hem of his shirt. “Just had a few bits to sort out. All free now, though.”

“Does that mean you can stay over again?”

Dan lifted his face to see Phil sending him a hopeful look. Something foreign in his chest tugged again – something foreign that couldn’t be anything good. _Phil is a cop. He’s after you. He’d lock you up in seconds if he could._

Dan should get out of here while he still could.

But as the silence stretched on, and Phil’s eyes widened and his brow crinkled in confusion, Dan felt his resolve break. He sighed, leaning further into Phil’s chest. “Yes. I can stay.”

—

Dan and Phil settled into a relatively easy routine after that. Phil would rush off to work in the mornings, and Dan would head back to his own flat, to ‘work’ (which meant dealing with clients and hiding any evidence of his actual job from Phil’s sight). Then they’d go out, or crash at one of their places for the evening until tumbling into bed together, and then the morning would come far too soon and Phil would have to drag himself back out to the station to continue with his work.

Phil continued to have no idea that he was in fact spending the majority of his days with the Howler.

Dan, for his part, tried to forget Phil’s job when they were together. Every time Phil smiled at him, or laughed at something he said, or wrapped a casual arm around his shoulders, Dan felt something worrying in his chest tug, anchoring him in place. Phil was quickly becoming an undeniably important part of his life.

Dan couldn’t do that. He didn’t _do_ attachments, and certainly not to _cops._

But Phil was bright and bubbly and funny, and he seemed intent on worming himself into every aspect of Dan’s life.

At the same time, it was disgustingly easy for Dan to hide. Phil rarely asked in-depth questions, and always accepted Dan’s vague stories of his ‘IT job’ that he occasionally disappeared into his office to work on. Phil, on the other hand, readily opened up to Dan about his own work. He never released personal information – he wasn’t stupid – but he spoke often about any leads they had on the Howler. More often than not, he was complaining that there was nothing to lead back to him.

Samuel Filemore didn’t change his story, meaning that Inspector Johnston had no choice but to charge Hank Filemore for the images found on his computer. Even though Phil was 99% convinced that the images had been planted, he couldn’t bring himself to feel too bad – Hank Filemore had a bad reputation as a ruthless businessman, and the way he’d treated Phil’s colleagues in his time in the cell didn’t endear him to anyone on the force.

Emily was working tirelessly to chase the Howler, as always, but to no avail. That was, until one day, when Phil got an excited email from her flashing up in his work inbox when he was grappling with the newest pile of files on his desk. With a frown, Phil got to his feet and made his way out to her tech room, trying not to get intimidated by all the beeping machines.

“Lester!” Emily waved him over. “Get over here, I’ve got something.”

“Yeah?”

“Look!”

Phil leaned over her shoulder, following her finger to where she pointed at one of the monitors. It showed a black screen with a weird looking graph, and lots of writing in code that he couldn’t understand. He said as much to her.

Emily snorted. “You’re actually hopeless. Hasn’t that IT boyfriend of yours taught you anything?”

“Not yet,” Phil shrugged, “But I’m sure he’ll get around to it.”

“Tell him to hurry up.” Emily huffed, explaining, “It’s a trace. On a phone.”

“A phone?”

“Yep. The Howler’s phone, to be specific.”

Phil backpedalled so fast he nearly fell over. “You _what_?!”

“I know.” Emily sent him a wide, proud grin. “I’m brilliant, aren’t I?”

“Emily, you’re the star of my entire life.”

“Don’t let Dan hear you saying that.”

Phil grinned. “He does get jealous easily. But anyway. How did you even get this trace?”

“Found a link on one of the old cases,” she explained, preening. “He contacts his clients through an anonymous account, but I hacked the server and found the phone connected to it. He hadn’t blocked the number – mustn’t have thought anyone could get in that close.”

“I only understood about half of that, but it sounds very clever.”

“Good answer.” Emily smirked at him, and suddenly a flashing beep started emanating from the graph.

Emily jumped. She spun around in her chair, her eyes going wide as she tapped at the keys. “Oh my gosh! It’s just activated!”

Phil blinked. “What?”

“The phone, Phil! It activated!”

Just then, Phil’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

Emily was staring intently at the screen, tapping away at her keyboard. The graph continued to beep. Phil left her to it for a moment, knowing she’d say more when she found something, so he backed away into a corner of the room and extracted his phone from his pocket.

**Dan** : come back to mine tonight, I actually washed my bedsheets

Phil snickered softly. He glanced once more at Emily – still engrossed in her monitors – and deemed she’d be busy for a few minutes yet.

**Phil** : I’m so proud. I thought you were allergic to housework

**Dan** : Oi. I don’t have to invite you back, you know

“It did it again!” Emily’s shriek bounced into Phil’s ears as she span around to face him. “Twice in one minute, Phil, the Howler – wait, who are you texting?”

Phil lifted his brows. “Dan. What do you mean, the Howler activated?”

“His phone.” Emily narrowed her eyes, casting a suspicious glance to Phil’s phone. “It just activated. He’s been texting – twice in the past minute.”

Phil blinked. He looked down at his own screen, then back up at Emily, who was sending him a suspicious look.

Phil promptly hid his phone behind his back.

“It’s just Dan,” he explained. “I’ll be going to his tonight.”

Emily pursed her lips. “He often text you at work?”

“Most days,” Phil nodded. “It’s normal.”

“Hm…”

“It’s _normal_ ,” Phil insisted. He slid his phone back into his pocket, moving up behind her chair again. “Show me the Howler’s phone. Can you get a location?”

Emily span reluctantly back around to her computer, tapping again at her keyboard. The graph had ceased its beeping, reduced instead to just flashing ominously.

After a few minutes, Emily let out a hiss between her teeth. “Nope. Lost it. He must have turned it off, sneaky bugger.”

Phil sighed behind her. “Still, it’s a good development. I’ll go tell Johnston.”

“Good luck,” she responded wryly, “He’s still in a foul mood after the Filemore fiasco.”

“I can deal with him.”

—

When Phil got off his shift, he popped back to his own flat for a quick change of clothes before heading on over to Dan’s. He and Dan had exchanged keys a few weeks ago, when it became clear that this … thing was going to become regular, so he let himself in with a cheery call. “Hey, I’m home!”

“All that’s missing is for you to call me ‘honey’,” Dan’s voice called from the living room, “And this could be a 50s sitcom.”

Phil gave a low chuckle. He followed Dan’s voice, finding him settled into his usual position on the sofa, laptop open across his legs. His phone sat by his side, screen dark. Phil couldn’t help but glance at it, thinking back to the moment with Emily earlier. But this was _Dan_. Phil pushed any doubt of his mind, dismissing his thoughts as ridiculous.

“So I hear you actually did housework today.” Phil launched himself onto the sofa and lay himself down across Dan’s legs. “Pigs must be flying.”

“Rude.” Dan lifted his laptop to avoid Phil’s head. “Also, working here.”

“Tough. Pay attention to me.”

“You’re impossible.” Dan couldn’t help a small smile from tugging at the corner of his lips. He balanced his laptop on the coffee table and turned his full attention to Phil, eyes fond as he lightly brushed a finger through Phil’s hair. “Bad day, I take it?”

“Weird day,” Phil corrected. He rolled a little in Dan’s lap, half-closing his eyes as he nuzzled into Dan’s touch. “Potential breakthrough on the Howler, though.”

Dan’s eyes widened. His heart thudded louder in his chest, and he hoped to heaven that Phil couldn’t hear it, despite its fast beats echoing in his head. He struggled to keep his voice calm. “Oh?”

“Emily tracked his phone.”

Dan’s stomach dropped.

“It actually activated when I was with her,” Phil added, his tone smooth. “When you were texting me.”

_Shit._

Dan could feel panic beginning to rise in his veins. _Did Phil know?_ Was this some kind of test? Dan’s heart plummeted at the thought, his mouth drying out. Getting caught and locked up wouldn’t even be the worst of it – the thought of Phil looking at him with shock and disappointment marring his features, Phil hating him, Phil turning away from him – that was what scared Dan the most.

He tried not to think too much about what that might mean.

Instead, Dan licked his lips, trying to keep his voice normal. “Oh yeah? Did you get a location on it then?”

“Emily said it turned off before she could trace it,” Phil huffed, his brow crinkling. “So close, but still so far.”

“Aw.” Dan smoothed Phil’s fringe back from his forehead, trying to hide the relief currently making his knees tremble. He was safe for now, then. He’d have to get rid of his phone without turning it back on – thank goodness it ran out of battery earlier. “Want to watch some Totoro to feel better?”

“Only if I don’t have to move.”

“Well, you might have to let me get to the DVD pile at least.”

Phil grumbled loudly, and spent the rest of the night curled up close to Dan.

—

Later that evening, Phil was lying in Dan’s bed, staring up at the ceiling with his lips pursed contemplatively.

He didn’t _want_ to doubt Dan. He didn’t. He 100% believed that Dan wasn’t hiding anything from him, but the way Emily looked so suspicious earlier was playing on Phil’s mind. He supposed it _was_ a bit of a coincidence that Dan texted him just when the Howler’s phone activated, but it didn’t actually _mean_ anything. Coincidences happened. The world was a weird, small place sometimes. Strange things just happened.

It didn’t have to _mean_ anything.

And yet, doubt continued to niggle away at the back of Phil’s mind. He gave a low sigh, shifting in the covers to tighten his grip around Dan’s waist. Dan was already asleep – unusually, before Phil – and in sleep his expression smoothed out, his sharply angular features softening. His hair was just starting to curl. He finally looked his age. Phil often forgot how much younger Dan was than him – it didn’t count for much, they were both in their twenties, but sometimes, at times like this, the gap showed. Phil wondered if it ever bothered Dan.

Then he snorted at himself for being so silly. If anything, Dan just loved the extra teasing fodder. Phil had never been called ‘old man’ so much in his life.

And yet, still the nagging doubt wouldn’t go away. Phil released a gusty sigh, shifting in Dan’s bed and closing his eyes determinedly. He was going to enjoy holding Dan close, as he got to almost every night now, and nothing was going to get in the way of him holding this precious man close to him. Phil pressed his face into Dan’s hair, cradling Dan against his chest, inhaling his familiar scent.

Phil opened his eyes for just long enough to press a kiss to Dan’s forehead. Dan shifted a little in his sleep, his lips turning up, and Phil’s heart sang. He cradled Dan closer, gently, careful not to wake him.

When Phil looked up, he saw Dan’s phone sitting innocently on the bedside table, easily within arm’s reach.

Phil bit his lip.

He shouldn’t look. There was no good reason for him to look. He trusted Dan. Coincidences happened.

But … if it _was_ just coincidence, then it wouldn’t hurt to have a quick look, would it?

Phil grappled with himself. He shouldn’t look. That was a breach of trust. But, his thoughts were constantly churning in his head, and he couldn’t shut away the little voice that nagged it _might not just be a coincidence._

Which was fully ridiculous.

One quick look at Dan’s phone could quiet his fears for good.

Taking a deep breath, Phil shifted cautiously in the bed, reaching over Dan to close his fingers around the cold metal of Dan’s phone. He picked it up, heart in mouth, and settled back in the bed, watching to make sure he hadn’t disturbed Dan.

Dan continued to sleep peacefully.

Phil released a shaky breath. He brought Dan’s phone closer, hesitating one moment longer before pressing the home button. Immediately, he squeezed his eyes shut.

When he dared to peek, the screen was still black. Phil furrowed his brows and hit the home button again, but the phone remained dead. He pressed the power button; still nothing.

Strange – it wasn’t like Dan at all to let his phone run out of battery.

Phil set the phone back on the bedside table, the crease in his brow deepening. There were, of course, many perfectly reasonable explanations as to why Dan’s phone might be dead. He probably didn’t notice it was out of battery, or forgot to put it on charge, or something like that – all likely scenarios.

Just, it was very _unlike_ Dan to go without his phone, even when he had Phil distracting him. Phil could wryly recall any number of moments when he’d been in the middle of kissing Dan, or hugging him, or cradling him close, only for Dan to push him away and dive for his phone instead, claiming urgent business. Phil secretly thought he had an addiction.

So this was strange to say the least.

It took Phil many more hours to get to sleep that night, and even when he did it was only fitful, with many bad dreams dogging his steps until morning.

—

Dan woke up with Phil the next morning, and after attempting to persuade Phil to stay in bed with him for a while longer (with no success), he rolled out of the sheets grumbling and went to have breakfast with Phil in the kitchen.

Phil sent him a warm smile over his coffee. “You can go back to bed, you know.”

“Nuh uh.” Dan shook his head vehemently. “If I leave you alone in my kitchen, it’ll look like a bomb hit it.”

“I’m not _that_ bad.”

“Phil.” Dan just sent him a look, which Phil returned with a cheeky grin.

They settled over their cereal, elbows knocking together, and Dan almost shuddered at just how _domestic_ the situation was. The warmth of Phil’s presence beside him lit up Dan’s mornings, made them bearable – he never thought he would willingly be out of bed before 9am, but here he was, just so he could spend a few extra minutes with Phil. Plus, he knew Phil appreciated it.

Phil hummed, downing the rest of his coffee. “I should pop home before work – got to grab my badge.”

“Oh yeah.” Dan felt the familiar flutter when he remembered just exactly what Phil’s job was. He barely glanced up from his bowl. “You should probably just leave it here.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Phil, you practically live here by now.”

Phil paused, and then sent him a sunny grin that felt just like a punch in the chest. Dan was literally breathless for a second. “I suppose you’re right about that.”

Dan couldn’t help but smile back. He was doing that far too often now Phil was in his life.

“Still,” Phil spoke through a huge yawn, “If I’m doing that, you should probably drop some stuff at mine, too. We spend just as much time there.”

“Good point. I’m popping out later, I could nip in then.”

“Yeah?” Phil blinked open his eyes to glance at Dan. “Where you off to?”

Dan licked his lips. “Getting a new phone. Mine died on me.”

There was a pause that lasted just a beat too long.

“Oh.” Phil nodded, but Dan thought he sensed surprise behind that tone. “Really? It seemed fine yesterday.”

Dan lifted one corner of his mouth into a wry smirk. “It died after I was texting you, and I haven’t been able to get it to restart.”

“So you’re just buying a new one?”

“Yeah. Temporarily, at least.” Dan flapped a vague hand, hoping to throw Phil off the scent a little. “Until I can take it to the repair shop.”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.” Phil smiled at him again, leaning over to give him a quick kiss. “Have fun. I’ll see you later?”

“Mhmm.” Dan grabbed the front of Phil’s collar and pulled him back in, kissing him slow and deep. “Meet me at yours,” he murmured when they finally separated, “Help me move some stuff in.”

“Sounds perfect.” Phil’s smile was the sunniest thing in the room again, and he gave Dan a jaunty little wave on his way out of the door.

Dan released a shaky sigh as soon as the front door slammed shut behind Phil. _Hell, that was close._ Was Phil suspicious? Did he suspect? Had Dan been too obvious, changing his phone the day after Phil told him they’d managed to trace the Howler’s? Dan’s teeth worried his lower lip. That wasn’t enough evidence against him, surely – it could still be a coincidence. Even if Phil _was_ suspicious, Dan could probably wave it off as Phil being over-zealous. 

His stomach twisted at the thought. Lying to Phil was starting to leave a sour taste in his mouth.

_Get a grip, Howell._ Dan bit down hard on his inner cheek, narrowing his eyes. He didn’t have any other choice. He knew for sure now that he wanted to keep Phil in his life – the thought of never seeing him again left a physical ache in his chest. But he could never tell Phil who he was. That wasn’t, and would never be, an option.

No, Dan was just going to have to suck it up. He’d made his choice – he could have left Phil back when he wasn’t too attached.

The thought of _that_ made Dan’s gut twist violently, and he had to pause for a moment, pressing a hand over his mouth.

Either way, he was in too deep. He was just going to have to make the best of it.

And pray to the heavens that he’d never get caught.

—

Phil went back to see Emily the next day at work. She was staring intently at her various monitors, lips pursed, glasses perched high on her nose as she frowned at the screen.

Phil moved behind her, looking at the same monitor she was so fixated on. It looked like pure gobbledegook to him. Still, he trusted that she was doing some kind of clever witchcraft to track down some terrible criminal, so he kept his silence until she turned to him.

After a few minutes, Emily gave a husky sigh and span in her chair to face Phil, arching a brow. “What did you want, Lester?”

“To see you, of course.” He dodged her whack with a grin. “Actually, Johnston wondered if there was any update on the Howler’s phone?”

She clicked her tongue. “I was just checking, but nope. It’s completely shut off.”

“Oh.” Phil tried not to look disappointed.

“Yeah, I know. It’s weird, actually.” She span back to the screen, tapping on her keyboard again. The graph from yesterday flashed back up, but now there was no flashing or beeping at all. “Normally, there’s some signal that the phone is still in existence, but this is just completely dead. Like it’s been disposed of.”

Phil narrowed his eyes, leaning over Emily’s shoulder. “That’s strange.”

“It really is.” Emily pursed her lips. “I’d almost say it’s like he knew we had a trace. But that’s impossible, unless he’s somehow managed to hack into here. My system is completely secure, though, seriously, wild tanks couldn’t get in.”

Phil snorted. “I don’t doubt that. It is weird, though.”

“It is.” Emily sighed. “Have fun telling Johnston that. The other possibility is we have a mole, but I can’t think of anyone here who would willingly _tell_ the Howler we’re tracing his phone. Or we were. I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Get out of my office. I have work to do.”

Phil nodded blankly, his blood suddenly running cold.

He’d told Dan they had a trace on the Howler’s phone.

He’d told Dan, and then Dan’s phone had broken, and now he was getting a new one.

And there was no trace of the Howler’s phone.

Phil suddenly felt very sick. His mouth soured, his stomach twisted, and he backed out of Emily’s office without another word. He didn’t go back to his desk, though. Instead, he stumbled out into the corridor and leaned heavily against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut and taking deep breaths.

It was nothing. Just coincidence.

It had to just be a coincidence.

But … what if it wasn’t?

Phil’s tongue felt too heavy in his mouth. He leaned his face against the wall of the corridor, too far gone to worry about the strange looks he was getting from his fellow members of staff. His face was drained of all colour, his fingers shaking slightly as he gripped at the hem of his shirt. His heavy police blazer stuck to his shoulders.

Dan _couldn’t_ be. There was no way. Just the thought of Dan being associated with the Howler was completely, utterly, and totally ridiculous.

There was no way.

And yet, Phil’s stomach twisted again inside of him. Dan was getting a new phone. There was nothing suspicious about that. Lots of people had phones that broke. The timing was just unfortunate.

That’s all it was. Bad timing.

Straightening, Phil pushed himself away from the wall and pushed his fringe back out of his eyes, taking in a steadying breath. He was panicking over nothing. What he _should_ be doing was sitting at his computer, going through his files and trying to track down the _actual_ Howler, rather than going crazy over tiny little coincidences.

Phil gave himself one final shake before heading back to his desk, ignoring the constant voice in the back of his head whispering _what if, what if, what if._

—

Dan spent the day tucked away in his office. He’d been neglecting his work a bit over the past few days, too distracted with Phil (not that he’d ever admit that to himself), so his client list had built up quite a bit. He had four or five simple jobs to complete, but they were time-consuming, and he had to spend the majority of the day staring blearily at his computer screen.

The jobs were done, though, and he took a little break halfway through the day to pop out and get himself a new phone. His bank account was fat and happy, especially after the Filemore case, so Dan had the luxury of choice as he browsed all the newest models.

When he got back to his own apartment, he quickly finished up the last of his jobs so he could head over to Phil’s. He packed a little overnight bag, with a pair of pyjamas and some spare underwear and a couple of shirts to tide him over, should he ever be staying. His heart fluttered a little at the thought of having a _stuff drawer_ in someone else’s home.

He shouldn’t be in this situation. He was one of the top hackers in London. People quaked to hear his name.

He shouldn’t be so fucking excited over a _stuff drawer._

Shaking his head at his own stupidity, Dan shoved his belongings into a carry bag. He slid out his new phone to check the time, and saw that it was only 4pm – Phil would be on his way home, but probably not back yet. Dan pursed his lips. He didn’t much fancy the prospect of hanging in Phil’s flat by himself. The only useful thing he could do would be to check on Phil’s laptop again, and he would risk getting caught.

Oh, he’d set up remote access, hadn’t he?

Dan was pleased to say that he hadn’t succumbed to the urge to spy on Phil yet – at least, not since that day when he’d spent a few hours on Phil’s laptop. Mostly, this was down to Phil’s honest openness when it came to talking about his job, so Dan knew most of what was going on in the investigation of his activities anyway. But perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check again. After all, Phil looked a little suspicious when Dan mentioned he was getting a new phone.

So Dan slipped back into his office.

It didn’t take long for him to open up remote access to Phil’s personal laptop. Dan swallowed his moral objections, squashing his conscience into a tiny corner of his mind. To distract himself while the screen loaded, he tugged out his phone and transferred Phil’s new number, sending him a text.

**Dan** : Hey, it’s Dan, got a new phone ^_^ tell me when ur home and I’ll come over

The programme loaded, so Dan set his phone aside and turned to it, pulling up Phil’s screen. He moved the mouse carefully, hovering over the many (messy and unnecessary) icons covering Phil’s desktop, before settling on opening his ‘Main Case’ folder again.

There were no new files – excellent. Dan’s newer cases mustn’t have caught the police’s attention yet, then.

Just as Dan was contemplating if he had time to dig any deeper before Phil got home, his phone went off.

**Phil** : Nice! Has it got a good camera? Emily keeps asking for photos of you

**Phil** : Also I’m at home now. Come over?

Dan’s eyes widened. _Shit._ Phil must have got home early – and _shit_ , if he was on his laptop he could well have seen Dan poking around in his files. Dan dropped his mouse as if he’d been burned, pushing as far away from his desk as possible.

He took a careful breath in, staring at his screen. It was ok. There was no movement not controlled by Dan – no one else was on the laptop, they couldn’t be. He was safe. Besides, he covered his tracks – even if Phil did realise he’d been hacked, there was absolutely no reason he would trace it back to Dan.

Dan swallowed. Carefully, he picked up his phone again, keeping one eye on his screen at all times.

**Dan** : Home early? Nice, I’ll be around in a few. And yes, this phone has an excellent camera. Which one is Emily again?

**Phil** : Yep, boss let me go ^_^ Emily is our tech analyst. She wants you to teach me how computers work. And she wants lots of photos

**Dan** : Give me half an hour and I’ll be happy to oblige her

Dan bit his lip, setting his phone back down on his desk. He hovered his mouse over exiting the window to Phil’s laptop, but just as he was about to shut it down, the mouse started moving on its own.

Phil must be on his laptop.

Dan gritted his teeth, watching with bated breath as Phil pulled up his internet browser. He clicked on the search bar, and Dan didn’t dare take his eyes away as Phil began typing.

_How can you tell if your boyfriend is secretly a criminal?_

Dan’s mouth dried right up.

As he watched, the question was deleted before pressing enter, and a long pause settled before there was any more movement. Dan didn’t dare shift.

Eventually, text appeared in the search bar once again.

_How to escape a phone trace_

This time, the search went through, and numerous results flashed up. Phil’s mouse hovered over several of the entries before clicking on one, an article written to explain how to safely dispose of a phone and acquire a new one if you feared you were being hacked.

Dan’s heart thudded loudly in his chest.

_Shit,_ Phil was suspicious. He must be suspicious. Well, Dan supposed, at least he was good at his job. Phil really would be a lame policeman if he didn’t suspect Dan at least a little bit, after chasing him down for the past year.

But that didn’t make Dan’s job any easier.

He leaned back in his desk chair, carefully considering his next move. He could go over there and tell Phil the truth – just lay it all out before him, and hope the results wouldn’t be too horrendous.

Only they would be, wouldn’t they? Phil would be betrayed, he’d be so disappointed to know Dan had been lying to him all this time. Dan’s stomach twisted, bile rising in his throat. No. No, he couldn’t do that. For both their sakes, he couldn’t do that.

So the only other option was to pretend like everything was fine, and keep Phil too distracted to get any more suspicious.

That, Dan could do.

Gritting his teeth, Dan deliberated for another long moment before deciding that, really, he only had one choice. He wasn’t going to tell Phil the truth. Phil would have to turn him in either way, and Dan wasn’t ready to let go of this easy, happy relationship – the first time he’d been truly comfortable around another person in his entire life. So what if that meant lying to Phil? He was _protecting_ Phil, really. Dan couldn’t bear the thought of Phil getting caught up in his world.

No, this way was better all round. For the both of them.

—

Phil leaned back from his laptop screen, closing down the search bar with a low huff. He was being utterly ridiculous. The sooner he put his foolish suspicions out of his mind, the better, for him and for Dan.

There was just the constant nagging feeling that maybe – just maybe – Dan was hiding something.

Well, wasn’t that natural? They hadn’t known each other that long. Dan didn’t know everything about Phil yet, either. It wasn’t fair for him to be jumping to conclusions, or checking up on Dan constantly, just because of a weird little coincidence. No, Phil just needed to get over himself.

Just then, as if on cue, the lock on his door turned and Dan entered the room, dressed in one of Phil’s hoodies, his hair straightened down his forehead, and a determined smirk decorating his lips.

Phil lifted his brows – he recognised that look. He quickly closed his laptop, pushing it down onto the table as he turned to face Dan. “Hello, you.”

Dan didn’t reply; just looked at him.

And then he was dropping his bag and moving swiftly across the room, clambering up onto the sofa and straight into Phil’s lap.

Phil leaned back with a chuckle, his hands finding their way around Dan’s shoulders as Dan leaned into him. Dan’s eyes were deep and sincere, heavy with something Phil had come to recognise as he closed the gap between them and pressed a firm kiss to Phil’s lips.

Phil returned the motions, sighing happily into Dan’s mouth. He ran his fingers slowly down Dan’s arms, tightening his grip around Dan’s back as he felt Dan’s hands grip insistently onto the front of his shirt. Dan’s mouth was insistent against Phil’s, only pulling back to press kisses down Phil’s jaw, holding him firmly down against the sofa.

Needless to say, Phil’s thoughts scattered away from his concerns, and he was a bit busy for the rest of the night to worry about whether or not Dan was secretly hiding something. All his suspicions seemed much more far-fetched when he had Dan actually in front of him, writhing in his grip, curled up in his arms, kissing him sweetly and firmly and with every bit of passion that Phil could possibly ask for.

When they eventually moved to the bedroom, Phil clung to Dan with all his strength, losing himself in the familiar, delicious touch. They didn’t move for the rest of the night, falling asleep in a messy tangle of limbs, holding each other close beneath the twisted mess of Phil’s sheets.

—

The next morning dawned groggily for Dan. He stretched out on the bed, stifling a yawn, his limbs feeling heavy and warm. There was a weight on his chest, and something tickling his neck, which told him Phil was still sleeping against him. Dan allowed himself a smile at that thought. He kept his eyes closed, trying to force his body to remain in this state of half-wakefulness, before his mind properly woke up and he had to start dealing with all the issues and morals that his conscience seemed to want to throw at him every day at the moment.

Phil shifted against him, a low sigh escaping his lips. Dan glanced down at him with a fond smile, the warmth spreading through his veins almost overwhelming. Why couldn’t things just stay like this? Why couldn’t he just keep Phil by his side, in treasured moments like this, without worrying about whatever their respective jobs might be? Dan didn’t care that Phil was a cop. Would Phil really care that Dan was a hacker?

The same hacker he’d spent a substantial part of his career trying to catch?

Ok, so maybe he’d care a _little_ bit. Dan lifted his eyes up to the ceiling, grappling with himself. Maybe he should just tell Phil – rip the plaster off all in one go, just get it done with. Maybe Phil wouldn’t react that badly. Maybe he was already so madly in love with Dan that he’d be able to forgive anything. Maybe he’d actually start working with Dan, help him cover his tracks, keep the police off his scent. They could become the next notorious crime duo. People would write stories about them. It could work.

A sudden, loud knock at the door pulled Dan out of his impossible daydreams. He jerked, freezing in place with his ears cocked until the knock sounded again, echoing insistently through the flat.

Dan pursed his lips. He laid a hand on Phil’s shoulder, giving him a little shake. “Phil?”

“Nngh.” Phil rolled onto his front, pressing his head firmly into the pillow. He remained unresponsive under Dan’s touch, and honestly, Dan didn’t have the heart to wake him right now.

“You owe me for this,” Dan muttered under his breath as he rolled out of Phil’s bed. He grabbed a pair of trackies – relieved he’d brought his stuff over, clearly keeping some things at Phil’s place was a good idea – and stumbled out of the bedroom, wending his way carefully through Phil’s messy flat until he reached the front door. Stifling a yawn, Dan unlocked it and pulled it open, looking up to meet the stare of the person on the other side.

A man in a police uniform looked calmly back at him.

Dan’s eyes widened in horror. He stumbled back, terrified thoughts running through his head. Was this it? Was he going to get arrested? Shit, would Phil get dragged through the mud with him? No, that couldn’t happen. Dan was going to have to flee, but he was still only wearing trackies and the police officer was staring at him, blocking the exit.

“Excuse me?” The policeman asked, and there was amusement in his tone.

Dan snapped back to reality, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. “Um. Yes?”

“I was looking for Phil. He _does_ live here, doesn’t he?”

_Phil?_ Why was a police inspector looking for Phil? Was Phil secretly a criminal too? Had Dan accidentally implicated him?

“He should be coming to work,” the officer prompted.

_Oh._ Work. Yes. Because Phil was a police officer.

Understanding cleared in Dan’s eyes and he coughed, mortified, but before he could say another word a shuffling sounded from deeper in the flat and Phil appeared, shirt half-done, yawning sleepily. His eyes widened when he saw the person in the doorway and he rushed up to Dan’s side. “Oh! Inspector Johnston, sir. Um. Can I help you?”

The Inspector’s eyes flickered between Dan and Phil, amused, and Dan (much to his mortification) actually felt heat rush to his cheeks. He shuffled back a step, letting Phil take the lead.

“Actually,” the Inspector began, “I wanted to catch you before you left for the station. We’re going to interview a witness.”

“Oh?” Phil looked up with interest.

“Yep. Might have a new lead on Samuel Filemore.”

Dan did his best to keep his face smooth.

“Oh! Cool.” Phil glanced around, grinning sheepishly at Dan. “I’d better get my stuff. Will you be ok to hang here for the day again?”

“Sure.” Dan was proud when his voice didn’t shake. “I’ll just … leave you to it.”

“No need to leave on my account.” The Inspector cast him an amused look. “Dan, I presume?”

“…Yeah?”

“Phil never shuts up about you.”

“Ok!” Phil coughed loudly and shooed Dan away, but not before Dan had arched an interested brow Phil’s way.

Dan chuckled, his eyes glittering at Phil. “We’re talking about this later.”

“We’re never speaking of this again.” Phil scurried back into the sitting room, grabbing his bag and shrugging on his jacket and badge. He flapped a hand at Dan. “Disappear. But be here when I get back.”

“Sure thing, Lester.” Dan’s eyes were dancing as he watched Phil head out of the door. The Inspector raised a hand at Dan before disappearing down the corridor.

As soon as they were gone, Dan shut the door behind them and let out a shaky breath. He rested his forehead against the door, closing his eyes, doing his best to slow his pounding heartbeat. He needed to get a grip. He couldn’t risk freaking out every time someone came to the door, or every time he saw something relating to Phil’s job. He’d only be drawing more suspicion onto himself.

Dan stayed there for a long moment before pushing himself up and going in hunt of some actual clothes. He allowed himself a bit of a grin at knowing Phil apparently talked about him at work – so maybe Dan wasn’t the only one too invested in this … whatever-it-was. Relationship. Thing.

Perhaps he could pull this off after all.

—

Phil did his best not to show his embarrassment at his boss turning up at his door to find his half-dressed boyfriend answering the door. However, sitting in the car next to the inspector was a new experience. They remained in solemn silence for the first few minutes of the drive, in which Phil shifted uncomfortably on his seat, until inspector Johnston released a hearty laugh.

Phil squirmed. “I should apologise, sir.”

“No need, Lester,” the Inspector guffawed. “At least he was hot.”

Phil felt heat spreading across the nape of his neck, curling right up to the base of his ears. He coughed. Thank goodness it was the Inspector that found him, and not Emily – if it had been her, the entire station would know by the end of the week, and Phil would never be able to live it down.

“But back to the matter at hand,” The Inspector spoke through his remaining chuckles, “Emily found something in Samuel Filemore’s phone. He was using the same anonymous server favoured by the Howler, so we’re going back to question him again.”

Phil instantly perked up. “The same server? Isn’t that enough to arrest him?”

“Not quite, unfortunately,” the Inspector answered wryly. “It’s a fairly popular server, and we’ve got nothing to link the two of them directly. It’s enough to go and speak to him again, though.”

“I guess he might have some information on the Howler’s operations. Maybe even the Howler himself.”

“If we’re lucky,” the Inspector agreed, “But we’ve got to get it out of him first.”

Samuel Filemore was much less hospitable this time around. He answered the door nervously, his face pasty, and showed them into his office with tentative looks around the corridor. At their mention of the Howler, he tensed right up. “I told you before, I don’t know anything about the guy!”

“Haven’t you heard of him at all?” Phil questioned curiously. “He’s been in the news a fair bit over the past year.”

“No! I…” Samuel Filemore coughed. “I mean, I might have seen _something_ , but I have nothing to do with it personally! Absolutely nothing!”

“We’re not accusing you, sir,” the Inspector cut in smoothly. “But there’s evidence on your phone that you’ve been on an anonymous server. Could you tell us why?”

Samuel Filemore gaped, his hands clutching at the hem of his shirt.

“It’s the same server that the Howler happens to use,” Phil chimed in helpfully.

Samuel licked his lips. He stared between the two of them, fingers clenching, before he gave in with a low cry. “Alright, alright, I might have – tried to contact him. Out of curiosity only, you got that? I didn’t do anything!”

Phil and the Inspector exchanged a glance.

“I swear it!” Samuel babbled. “I never even _saw_ him, we just messaged and had a drop-off point – but I didn’t – you have no evidence!” He pointed an accusing finger right at Phil’s chin. “You have _no evidence,_ so you can’t try and pin anything on me! Right?” He swallowed. “…Right?”

The Inspector narrowed his eyes. “Tell me everything you know about the Howler, and maybe we’ll be able to cut you a deal.”

It took lots more prodding, but eventually they got the full story from Samuel – which, disappointingly, wasn’t very much. The Howler operated anonymously, and gave his clients a USB drive from a drop-off point. They never met in person. Samuel didn’t even know what his voice sounded like.

“Where is this drop-off point?” The Inspector asked, Phil poised with his notebook and pen.

“A telephone box,” Samuel answered reluctantly.

“Have you been there?”

Samuel nodded. “Dropped off the USB drive there as soon as I could.”

“Show us.” The Inspector led the way out of the flat, Samuel following reluctantly behind them. They took the marked car, following Samuel’s directions out to the middle of the city. Sure enough, there stood an innocent-looking red telephone box on the street corner, clearly old and out of use. Graffiti decorated its glass panels.

Inspector Johnston pulled up next to it, motioning for Phil to go and check it out while he stayed in the car with Samuel. So Phil unbuckled his seatbelt and clambered out onto the pavement, going to the phone box. He opened the stiff door, glanced around the inside – there was nothing there. The USB drive was gone.

Phil bit his lip, glancing around the neighbourhood. He didn’t know this area of London very well – he only ever came this way when he was visiting Dan, who only lived a couple of streets over.

Dan, who was still using his new phone rather than repairing his old one.

_Stop it,_ Phil berated himself. There was no use going down that rabbit hole again. Coincidences – they happened. He had to stop jumping at shadows in every corner of his life. Not everything to do with him was going to lead back to the Howler. So Phil went back to the car and shook his head at the Inspector, telling him the phone box was clear. With a sigh and a wry look at Samuel Filemore, the Inspector drove them back to the station so they could take a formal statement.

There wasn’t enough to charge Samuel Filemore with – they had no evidence, and he had co-operated with their case – but there _was_ enough to release his uncle Hank from his jail cell. Phil couldn’t help but have a bit of a sour taste at that. His job was supposed to be putting _away_ bad people, not finding ways to release them.

“Tough one, isn’t it, Lester.” Inspector Johnston leaned on Phil’s desk, watching as he filled in the paperwork for Samuel Filemore’s statement.

Phil agreed with a low groan. “It feels like whenever we get close, the Howler just slips through our fingers.”

“I know, but we’ll get him eventually.” The Inspector pursed his lips. “I don’t think we’ll be locking him away, though.”

Phil blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Well, we can’t deny that the man’s a genius.” The Inspector snorted, gesturing to the mass of files around them. “He’s had his finger in all of these cases, and we still have no idea who he is. He’s talented. The force could use someone like him.”

“You mean if we ever catch him, we’re just going to offer him a _job_?!”

“No need to sound so horrified, Lester.” The Inspector sent him a stern look. “He’d be an asset.”

Phil shook his head. “I just don’t know how someone like that would ever agree to work with us.”

“He hasn’t been vicious, so far,” The Inspector mused. “He never hurts anyone, not physically. He’s a hired hacker – we already use them. Where do you think Emily came from?”

Phil stopped short at that.

The Inspector nodded at the paperwork. “We’ll have more of a chance catching him now we know about the phone box. I’m setting up twenty-four hour surveillance as soon as we have the manpower.”

Phil sighed. “Assuming it’s his main drop-off point. He could have countless throughout the city.”

“One problem at a time, Lester.” Inspector Johnston rested a hand on Phil’s shoulder, taking the completed paperwork and heading back to his office. “Keep up with your files – we don’t want to miss anything now we’re getting closer.”

Phil nodded, though his heart sank. This cycle was endless, and ongoing, and he was beginning to feel like this case would never have a solution. Phil was starting to envisage a future where he was always stuck at Sergeant level, constantly tracking the nameless, faceless hacker on a merry dance through the city, never getting closer than the odd tantalising glimpse.

Frustration coursed through Phil’s veins and he groaned, slapping his face down onto his desk.

“What’s up with you, Lester?”

Phil lifted his head again, groaning louder when he saw Emily approaching. He made a face at her. “Just a million and one things going wrong. Where’ve you been, Matlock?”

“Locked up in my cave, what do you expect?”

“You need to socialise more.”

“Get lost.” She perched on the edge of his desk, her eyes glittering down at him. “Heard the Inspector paid you a house call this morning.”

Phil closed his eyes and released a loud groan.

Emily snickered. “By all accounts, Dan’s hot.”

“I already told you that.”

“Yeah, but I _still_ haven’t seen a picture, so I have to collect what evidence I can.” She was grinning; Phil could hear it in her voice. “Is it true he answered your door without a shirt?”

Phil groaned louder. “If I show you a photo, will you promise to shut up?”

“I’d be more likely to shut up, yes.”

Phil lifted his eyes heavenwards, but reached into his pocket to fish out his phone. He clicked it onto its lockscreen – a picture of him and Dan making stupid faces at the camera - and held it out to show Emily.

She promptly stole it from him. “Huh, he _is_ hot.”

“I told you.”

“And wait, is he taller than you?”

“Only by like a centimetre,” Phil huffed, snatching his phone back from her.

“Yeah, but you’re a giant, so he must be enormous.”

Phil made a face.

Emily grinned at him, hopping off his desk. “Ok, I give you leave to like him. If he’s managed to stick around your grumpy face for this long, then he must have the patience of a saint, so you’d better hang onto him I guess.”

“I officially hate you.”

“Yeah right, Lester.” Emily sauntered back out of the office, giving him a cheery wave. “Don’t forget to get him to teach you about technology, too!”

Phil glared after her retreating back.

—

When Phil made it back to his flat after work, it was to find it devoid of Dan. A quick look through the rooms told him that the flat was definitely empty, so presumably Dan headed out somewhere, or maybe back to his own flat. In fact, hadn’t Dan mentioned something about being behind on his work? He was probably sitting in his office. Phil debated calling him, but he was still feeling frustrated after getting so close to the Howler, and he was craving some cuddle time. So Phil picked up his keys and walked straight back out again, deciding to surprise Dan at home.

He caught the bus across London, trying not to think about the phone box again when he headed back to that area. Instead he kept focused on Dan, on how nice it would be to curl up against his chest and bury his face in his neck and hide from the frustrations of the day. Phil leaned his face against the glass window and willed the bus to go faster.

He jumped off at the stop nearest to Dan’s apartment, wending the now-familiar trail up to his front door. He pulled Dan’s keys out of his pocket, letting himself into the building and moving up to Dan’s door. He knocked loudly before opening it, calling out, “Hey, Dan! It’s me.”

The flat was dark.

Phil narrowed his eyes, stepping further in and pulling the door shut behind him. The living room – larger than Phil’s – was devoid of life, the curtains still drawn. The TV was dark and silent, the multitude of DVD cases strewn about the floor. The shelves were all neatly straightened, though, in typical Dan style.

“Dan?” Phil tried again, edging further into the room. He crossed the living room and peeked his head into the kitchen, frowning when that too was empty. He headed up the corridor, checking Dan’s bedroom to find the bed still made – they hadn’t slept here in a while – and the room dark.

Phil’s stomach started to clench. Dan could be out, of course, but it was unlike him not to be around to greet Phil when he got home from work, even if he was heading straight out again. Phil extricated his phone from his pocket, seeing that he had no new messages. He made his way back out into the corridor, focusing on the one door he hadn’t tried – in fact, a room he had yet to go inside.

Dan’s office.

“Dan?” Phil called again, rapping his knuckles against the wood of the office door. It swung open slightly, revealing a series of flashing lights bleeping out from the shadowed room. The computer on the desk was on, the screen lit up with a confusing number of codes and graphs, and the desk chair was facing the monitor.

There was a figure seated at it, headphones over his ears.

“Dan!” Phil breathed out in relief. Stepping into the room, he laid a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “There you are, I was…”

As soon as his hand made contact with Dan’s shoulder, Dan jumped straight up in the air and whirled around, the chair springing back from his legs, his arms straight up in front of him. His expression was set and his eyes were glowering. He almost looked … dangerous? He leaped on Phil in an instant, shoving Phil back against the wall.

“Woah!” Phil jumped back, his police instincts kicking in. He held both his hands up, struggling in Dan’s grip. “Dan, it’s me! What’s wrong?”

Dan glared at him in the darkness of the room until his eyes widened with recognition and he took a step back, pressed right up against the desk. “Phil?”

“Yes!” Phil was breathing heavily. “The hell was that about?”

“You startled me.” Dan rubbed a palm over his face. “I thought you were – never mind. Why are you still in your work uniform?”

“What?” Phil looked down at himself, then back up at Dan, his eyes narrowing. “Why does that matter?”

Dan didn’t answer. His palm was still over his face, his shoulders rising and falling steadily. He didn’t move away from the desk.

Phil took a step closer and Dan instantly tensed. Phil bit his lip. The air felt thick and heavy, the dark room stifling. The machinery on the desk continuously beeped, the graphs on the monitors spinning and whirring away. Flashing lights lit up the room, pressing against Phil’s temples. He looked around, lifting his brows. “I’ve never been in here before. You working?”

“None of your business,” Dan snapped.

Phil started at that. He span back around, but Dan was making shooing motions at him, stepping away from the desk. “Why are you even in here?”

“Because you weren’t at mine?” Phil’s voice came out sounding like a question. He backed up when Dan directed him, though a deep crease appeared in his brow. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” Dan hissed, “But you shouldn’t have just come barging in here without permission.”

Phil let out a surprised laugh. “Dan, you gave me a key.”

“You should have knocked!”

“I did!” Phil responded hotly. “On the front door, and the bedroom, _and_ this door before I came in – you were just working, right?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Dan growled, “Which is _exactly_ why you shouldn’t have come in here!”

Phil jerked back. He glanced around the office again, his mouth opening, but Dan was already spinning around to shut off all the monitors, plunging them into complete darkness.

“You should leave.” Dan’s voice was soft – almost dangerously so.

Phil’s mouth dried up. He coughed. “Dan – why can’t I see what you’re working on?”

Deadly silence crept through the room. All he could hear was Dan’s breathing, cold in the dark room.

A hand touched Phil’s wrist, making him jump, and then Dan was dragging him out in to the corridor, firmly closing the office door behind him. His brown eyes were dark and heavy when they landed on Phil’s face, his voice low and even. “You should really leave.”

Phil stared back at him. “Why? Are you ok?”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Dan hissed vehemently, “Or I _would_ be, if you got the fuck out of my business.”

Phil flinched.

Dan closed his eyes, running a palm down his face. His voice softened slightly. “I didn’t mean that, Phil.”

“No?” Phil’s voice was cold. “Seems to me you knew exactly what you meant.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“ _Me_ , dramatic?” Phil let out a harsh laugh. “You’re the one who just kicked me out. But, fine. You want me to go, consider me gone.”

“Phil, wait – ”

Phil ignored him. He span on his heel, striding straight back over to the door. He only paused for long enough to spit, “Don’t bother coming over,” before he left the flat and slammed Dan’s door behind him.

Dan’s heart sank down to his boots.

_Shit_. Shit! He screwed his eyes shut, hitting his face with his palm and groaning loudly. That had been far too close of a call – Phil walked in on him _right in the middle of hacking a top-security bank_.

Speaking of, Dan needed to sort that out, _right now._ He hurried back into his office and flipped the monitor back on, squashing thoughts of Phil’s angry exit for now. First, he had to get himself safely out of the system, before their security picked up on an intruder. He’d have to complete the job at a later date, which his client wouldn’t like, but Dan was left with no choice.

This was _exactly_ why Dan didn’t let himself get attached. He couldn’t afford to have people poking around inside his business – especially someone who was a _fucking cop._ No one had ever been inside Dan’s office before. The memory of Phil’s wide, hurt eyes and cold voice trickled across Dan’s brain and he flinched, cursing. _  
_

_No._ He needed to concentrate on getting safely out of this system – then he could think about what on earth to do about Phil.

It took Dan a lot longer than normal to get out of the system. When he was safely logged out and left no trace of his interference – not that he’d managed to do much before Phil walked in – he shut down his computer and leaned back in his seat, squeezing his eyes shut. Instantly, the image of Phil’s face flashed before his mind’s eye.

He should have known he’d slip up eventually, but he didn’t want Phil to get the backlash. And besides, Phil hadn’t actually _seen_ anything – at least, not anything incriminating. Maybe Dan could still salvage something from this.

So, Dan scurried back into his sitting room and perched on the edge of the sofa, recovering his phone from his pocket. He called Phil straight away.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Phil hung up on him.

Dan tried three more times, with no success. He growled, though he supposed he didn’t really blame Phil. He couldn’t even leave a message – Phil hung up before he could get through to voicemail. Well, if he was going to be a child about it, then Dan wasn’t going to bother. Let Phil stew if he wanted. 

Dan had work to do.


	3. I See You Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third and final part, and can I just say, thank you to those who've left comments, its so lovely to know there are people who are reading this! I hope this ending is satisfying, enjoy <3

PART 3

Several days went passed before Phil heard from Dan again.

To be precise, it was three days, four hours, and eleven minutes. Not that Phil was counting. In fact, he angrily told himself to get a grip, knowing that any word from Dan wouldn’t be something he could trust anymore. Not now that his suspicions were just getting stronger and stronger with every action Dan took.

He didn’t _blame_ Dan, exactly. Phil _had_ walked in on him without announcement, and he’d clearly surprised Dan in the middle of doing something important. What worried Phil was just _what_ it was that Dan could have been doing. For Dan to have freaked out that much, it must have been important. But of what nature? Was Dan secretly a spy? A secret agent?

Or was he an internet hacker who went by the name of the Howler?

_Don’t be so ridiculous._ Phil pulled himself away from those thoughts, slumping back in his desk chair in the busy police station, swiping his forehead with his palm amid the constant chattering and beeping of the phone lines. There was no reasonable way Dan could be the Howler. He’d never be so brash and obvious with Phil if he was, knowing that Phil was a police officer. Surely he’d never dare to keep on seeing Phil after finding that out, if he did have something to hide.

So why did he flip out so much when Phil walked into his office?

Try as he might, Phil couldn’t gather anything from what little he’d seen on Dan’s computer screens. They’d been shut off pretty quickly once Phil had walked in, so all he’d seen were a few very confusing images plastered along all the monitors. None of the flashing lights or reams of coding made any sense to Phil. He wasn’t in any way technological.

Perhaps he’d do better to talk to someone who was?

Phil gnawed on his lip, considering. Of all the tech analysts who worked in this station, Emily was by far Phil’s favourite. But could he seriously trust her with this? Phil didn’t even like to trust _himself_ with suspicions over Dan – because honestly, if Dan _was_ the Howler, then Phil was going to have to seriously reconsider his taste in people – so he couldn’t quite bear the thought of letting someone else know his suspicions. Especially Emily, who had taken such a keen interest in how happy Phil was now he’d finally found someone foolish enough to put up with him.

In all honesty, Phil agreed with her. He’d never planned to settle down with someone, but Dan had just kind of … happened. And now barely a day went past without Phil imagining some kind of happy, warm future in a nice house with Dan by his side.

If Dan was the Howler, none of that could happen.

Could it?

_But Dan isn’t the Howler,_ Phil reminded himself savagely. _Honestly, there’s any number of reasons why he might not want you to look at his work. Maybe he was just looking up a surprise for you. Or maybe he works for the government, he might be under confidentiality. There are loads of possibilities. Don’t just assume he’s the hacker you’ve been chasing for over a year._

Phil did his best to believe his own internal monologue. Really, he did.

After his lunch break, though, Phil’s doubts about Dan were still clamouring away in the back of his mind, refusing to shut up no matter how often he tried to ignore them. He couldn’t focus on his files at all. Any reading he had to do about cases related to the Howler just got him thinking more about Dan – could Dan have been the one to do this, what if Dan actually hacked all these people? But no, the Howler got into some of the top security systems in the whole of London, surely it was impossible that _his Dan_ could do that? _His Dan,_ who spent the majority of his days lounging around in his pyjamas and stealing Phil’s food?

Phil dropped the files with a groan.

Without thinking any more, he got to his feet and walked straight to Emily’s office. He didn’t even knock – he just walked in and flopped dramatically over her desk, a frustrated growl emitting from his lips.

Emily glanced away from her various monitors, arching a brow at Phil’s form draped all over her precious keyboard. She coughed. “Um. Excuse me?”

Phil just groaned louder.

Emily rolled her eyes. She wheeled her chair over to the opposite side of her desk, facing Phil with determination in her expression and in her tone. “Alright, Lester. Spill.”

Phil grunted. “Are we ever going to catch the Howler, Emily?”

“Oh.” Emily gave a sympathetic sigh. “It’s one of those days, is it?”

“I just.” Phil paused, pursed his lips, and tried again. “How are we even going to know it’s him, if we do find him?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s just a hacker,” Phil explained plaintively.

Emily snorted. “A damn good one, at that.”

“The best in all of London,” Phil agreed, and felt a little shiver at the thought it might be _Dan._ His Dan.

Ridiculous.

“But,” Phil continued, his head slumping back onto Emily’s desk, “He isn’t exactly going to be wearing flashing bells and a sign saying ‘hey, over here! It’s me! I’m the Howler!’, is he?”

“I highly doubt it.”

“So how are we ever going to know?” Phil grumbled. “We could walk past him every day and we’d have no clue.”

Emily clicked her tongue, her eyes thoughtful. “Hm. You think he could be someone we’ve seen?”

“No,” Phil answered quickly. “No, no, how ridiculous would that be? Ha. Um. I meant more – like – hypothetically.”

Emily raised her brows at him.

“Hypothetically,” Phil insisted.

“...Alright,” Emily tapped her pen against her desk, “ _Hypothetically,_ I see what you mean, but I don’t think the Howler would be able to hide completely.”

“No?”

“Not completely,” Emily mused. “I mean – think about it, he must have some pretty serious technology. He probably has a cave somewhere locked away that he doesn’t let anyone else inside.”

A chill ran down Phil’s spine at that. _Dan’s office._

No. Stop it. His Dan wasn’t a hacker. He _wasn’t._

“Either way,” Emily continued, “We’re never going to find him if I keep letting you slump all over my things.”

Phil groaned again. “Can’t I just hide in here?”

“Your boss would kill me.”

“ _I’ll_ kill you if you kick me out.”

“Don’t be dumb, Lester.” Emily made a shooing gesture at him. “Out. Now.”

Phil stuck his tongue out on his way through the door. As soon as he was back through into the corridor, though, his face dropped, his eyes dimming. His fears were nothing close to being allayed.

_Stop it,_ he berated himself. _So Dan has an office. Lots of people have an office. And you could probably go back in there if you asked him, you just should give him some warning this time._

That is, if Dan would ever even speak to him again.

Phil gnawed on his inner cheek, moving slowly through the station on his way back to his desk. After Phil ignored Dan’s phone calls, there hadn’t been any contact between them at all. Phil didn’t want to be the one to cave first, though. He missed Dan exponentially – three days apart left him with a hollow, odd _emptiness_ in his chest – but the fact remained that Dan was the one who flipped out. Phil honestly wasn’t sure how Dan would react next time they spoke. Especially if it was Phil forcing himself back into Dan’s space.

So he made himself leave his phone alone, never sending any of the multiple texts he typed out in his conversation with Dan. Instead, Phil settled back into his desk. He groaned at the endless pile of files, all possible Howler cases, and got back to work with a determined twist to his lips.

The Howler _wasn’t_ Dan. He _wasn’t._

\---

Three days, and still no word from Phil.

Dan was starting to get antsy.

He wasn’t used to feelings like this. Dan, as a rule, didn’t do ‘clingy’. He certainly didn’t do _attachments._ Going a few days without talking to Phil really shouldn’t leave Dan feeling like he’d lost the use of his right arm, or something.

The worst of it was, Dan had tried calling – admittedly, not since that first day, but he _had_ tried – and Phil hung up on him. Dan supposed he couldn’t really blame Phil for that, though, not with how unceremoniously he’d chucked Phil out of his office. But Dan didn’t have any choice. Nothing on this earth could convince him to show a fucking _cop_ his _hacking abilities._

Seriously, how did Dan even manage to land himself in this mess?

Dan grunted, leaning his head back against the sofa. He’d done all the work he needed to do today – he was working with a new client, still at the bank, so he’d nipped out to drop off the USB drive for his client to pick up. There were a lot of people out on the street, thankfully, so Dan was able to slip in and out of the phone box without the notice of any potential prying eyes. He was on red alert ever since knowing that Phil might – just _might_ – be a little suspicious of him. So Dan was waiting for confirmation that his client managed to pick up the USB before he could go on with the job. That meant he had the rest of this evening, and probably most of tomorrow, to himself. Ordinarily, Dan jumped on the chance to have a few hours free, but right then, it was the last thing he wanted. Moments of quiet were when he most missed Phil.

Dan squeezed his eyes shut. _Why_ was this so difficult? He used to have no problem spending hours by himself, but right now, his sofa felt too empty when it was just him, and the games he once enjoyed were definitely more fun with two. He missed beating Phil at Mario Kart. He missed eating messy food with him, or getting takeout when they were both too lazy to cook. He missed having someone beside him when he woke up in the morning, someone to hold in his arms when he was falling asleep.

Dan shook his head, allowing himself a wry smile. Phil managed to insert himself completely into Dan’s life, didn’t he? And now Dan didn’t want to let him go.

This silence was killing him. He wanted Phil back in his life, in whatever capacity he might be allowed to have him. He had to at least make an effort, right? Even if Phil didn’t want to talk to him anymore.

So, with slightly shaking fingers, Dan typed out a text, praying it would be enough.

**Dan:** Phil I’m sorry, pls let me explain. Can I come over?

There was no immediate reply, so Dan sank back into his cushions, too wound up to think about putting on the TV. Instead, he simply let his racing thoughts chase themselves around his head until his phone buzzed again in his hands. The silence of his flat echoed loud in his ears.

**Phil:** Am I not welcome back at yours?

Dan flinched.

**Dan:** Look. You caught me at a bad time. Can I please come over so we can talk about this like adults?

The next few minutes felt like an age, and Dan tapped his phone against his chin, creasing his face up.

**Phil:** Alright. I’ll give you ten minutes

Dan breathed out a sigh of relief. He jumped straight to his feet, only pausing to grab his keys before he rushed out of his flat.

The walk to Phil’s had never felt longer. Dan deliberated over exactly what he was going to say. Telling the truth still felt like an impossibility – the disappointment in Phil’s eyes just from being kicked out of his office was bad enough. Dan couldn’t imagine how bad it would be if Phil ever found out just who the Howler actually was.

No, Dan couldn’t tell him. Instead, he was just going to have to come up with some perfectly plausible explanation as to why he’d freaked out so much, and why Phil couldn’t go back into his office ever again.

Dan was still drawing a blank when he reached Phil’s building.

In the end, after a long time spent hovering outside Phil’s door with his heart in his mouth, racking his brains, Dan threw all caution to the wind and rang the bell.

Phil sounded surprised when he answered. “You didn’t just come straight up?”

“Oh,” Dan answered lamely. “Um. I wanted to check I was actually welcome first.”

A heavy sigh sounded down the line. “You’re always welcome, Dan. Even if I _am_ mad at you.”

Dan wasn’t entirely sure how to take that.

He jumped up the stairs to Phil’s flat, cautiously letting himself in. Phil was waiting for him in the corridor, arms folded, brows furrowed.

Dan chewed his lip. Even when he was face-to-face with Phil, he still had absolutely no idea what to say.

Phil arched a brow. “So you turn up here after three days and I don’t even get an apology?”

Dan grimaced. “Sorry?”

“That was a question more than anything.” Phil sighed and motioned Dan over, taking a seat on the sofa. Dan cautiously followed. He declined Phil’s offer of a hot drink, his fingers clenching and unclenching in the hem of his shirt. His mind still drew a blank.

Eventually, he met Phil’s eyes and flinched at the coldness still found there. He had to try and fix this. He licked his lips nervously before attempting speech. “I am sorry. Honestly.”

Phil arched a brow.

“I overreacted, I know. You just surprised me.” Dan let out a slow breath. “I was in the middle of a really important job, I didn’t expect you, and then you showed up – I just freaked out. I’m sorry.”

Phil kept his silence for a while, mulling over Dan’s words. Dan squirmed in the seat.

“Alright.” Phil’s voice was irritatingly calm, his face smooth. Dan didn’t have a clue what was going on behind his expression. “That makes sense, I suppose, but – why were you so freaked out? Is your work secret, or something?”

Dan grimaced. “Not … exactly.”

“Then what is it?”

Dan bit his lip and kept his silence.

Phil held his gaze evenly before he released a low, disappointed sigh. “Look, Dan, if you don’t trust me…”

“I do,” Dan was quick to interrupt.

Phil narrowed his eyes.

“I _do_ ,” Dan insisted. “It’s just – it would probably end badly if you knew what work I was doing.”

Phil blinked. “What?”

Dan chewed his lip, surprised at the honesty that was coming out of his mouth. Maybe this would work – tiptoeing around the truth. So he leaned forward and took one of Phil’s hands in both of his own, looking sincerely into Phil’s eyes. “My work – it’s better if you don’t know what I do.”

“Better for who?” Phil demanded.

“For you,” Dan was quick to respond. “…Well, ok, for me too, but honestly, you’re better off not knowing.”

“Why?”

“Just take my word for it,” Dan pleaded. “I can’t tell you everything – please, don’t push me on it.”

Phil’s lips quirked. “You’re actually saying please? Pigs must be flying.”

“Hey.” Dan shoved him. “Trying to have a serious conversation here.”

“I can see that.” Phil’s brow creased a little. “I don’t understand you at all sometimes.”

“Only sometimes? We’re doing well.”

Phil rolled his eyes, but his shoulders relaxed a little. He stroked his thumb against Dan’s palm. “I appreciate that I might not get to know everything about you – so just tell me one thing?”

Slowly, Dan nodded his head.

Phil drew in a careful breath. “Is what you’re doing – whatever it is – is it dangerous?”

Dan’s eyes darkened.

“…Ok.” Phil swallowed after a long moment of silence stretched between them. “Alright. Um. Dan, are you safe?”

Dan quirked his lips. “You said one question.”

“I think this is clarification, not a new question.”

“I think that sounds like bollocks.”

“Please.” Phil looked intently into his eyes, his expression wholeheartedly open, and Dan felt something in his chest tug. “Please, Dan. Are you safe?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Dan tried to put as much assurance into his tone as he could. “I’m fine, I take care of myself. Just, you can’t ask me about my work. Ok?”

Phil pursed his lips, his expression guarded. Dan held his breath as the silence dragged between them, his grip tightening on Phil’s hand. Phil knew more than Dan ever shared with _anyone_ – he honestly wasn’t sure how he’d cope if Phil walked away from him now.

Dan’s heart fluttered at the mere thought.

Eventually, Phil dropped his gaze down to their linked hands, still gently stroking his thumb against Dan’s palm. “You really can’t tell me? Ever?”

“I don’t think so,” Dan answered carefully. “Is it important to you?”

Phil blew out a sigh. “Well, I’d be more comfortable knowing. But I appreciate your honesty, I wouldn’t want you to lie.”

“Believe me,” Dan answered wryly, “I’ve never in my life told anyone as much as this.”

Phil peered at him closely, but Dan squirmed away, changing the subject swiftly. “Anyway. I’m sorry I kicked you out. And I’m sorry I completely flipped out when you walked in. You just took me by surprise.”

“You’re almost forgiven,” Phil replied evenly.

“Almost?”

“I mean, you’ve got a bit more grovelling to do, and you should probably buy me dinner for a few days, but then I’ll call us quits.”

“You cheeky little shit.” Dan shook his head, but his lips were turning up again.

Phil frowned at him. “That’s no way to grovel to your boyfriend.”

“You’re absolutely impossible.” Dan burst out laughing, leaning forward until his forehead rested against Phil’s shoulder. “Absolutely impossible, but I love you anyway.”

Phil went still under him. One hand rested on Dan’s shoulder, and when Phil spoke, it was almost breathless. “Do you mean that?”

“Hm?”

“What you just said.” Phil pulled Dan back so he could meet his gaze, blue eyes dancing. “Do you love me?”

Dan blinked rapidly. “…Did I just say that?”

“Yep. Yes you definitely did.” Phil was grinning madly. “No take-backs.”

“Well,” Dan’s expression was surprised for a moment, before he suddenly smirked. “I guess it must be true, then.”

Phil’s grin widened, and he leaned forward to press a keen kiss to Dan’s lips. Dan leaned into him readily, his hands insistently winding around Phil’s back, pressing him closer. It felt like far too long since the last time they’d been together, even if it’d only been a few days.

Dan stayed over at Phil’s that night, and once again, falling asleep in each other’s arms was something that hadn’t happened in far too long. Dan fell asleep first, his breathing quickly falling even, and he was lying on Phil’s chest for once, his hair already starting to curl, his sharp features smoothed out. Phil watched him well into the darkness of the night, lost in deep thought.

Their conversation about Dan’s work hadn’t done much to allay Phil’s fears. In fact, having it confirmed that Dan was hiding something from him only sent Phil’s worries into overdrive, his brain constantly calculating just where Dan was any time something happened in the Howler case. Could they match up?

Could Phil be holding the Howler in his arms right now?

The idea still sounded ridiculous, even inside his head. Phil shook his head – he just couldn’t believe it. But the doubt was still there, niggling away constantly in the back of his mind. He couldn’t fathom how he’d feel if it was true; betrayed, certainly, since Dan definitely knew that Phil had been hunting down the Howler for well over a year.

It would also mean that Dan was a literal genius.

A literal genius who decided to spend his time with Phil.

Phil admitted that thought made him glow a little.

But still, there was the major possibility that Phil was making a big deal out of nothing, and Dan’s job was much less sinister than his thoughts were leading him to believe. Maybe Dan was actually a secret agent, or something. It wasn’t any less ridiculous than the thought that he might be an infamous hacker. Phil had no way to confirm that, aside from just asking Dan outright, and he wasn’t entirely sure that would go down very well after how Dan reacted to him walking into his office unannounced.

But maybe there was another way Phil could confirm whether or not Dan was the Howler.

With the beginnings of an idea forming in his mind, Phil settled back close to Dan, cradling him against his chest as he drifted into sleep.

\---

The next day, at work, Phil casually wandered up to Inspector Johnston’s office. Things had quietened down a bit since Hank Filemore was released – there were no new leads, so everything was ticking along quite comfortably, with the team just going over all the old suspected Howler cases to see if they’d missed any sort of connection. During these times, the Inspector liked to retreat into his office with coffee and his dictaphone, recording any thoughts or insights he might have on the case. He didn’t like to be interrupted, but Phil deemed this to be necessary.

Cautiously, Phil slipped up the corridor and hovered outside the Inspector’s door, working up his courage. He took in a steadying breath, rehearsing what he had to say. He was making a simple enough request – there was no reason the Inspector would suspect anything.

Phil gathered himself and rapped his knuckles twice on the door.

“Enter,” sounded the Inspector’s stern voice.

Phil pushed open the door, sidling into the well-lit office. There was a large indoor plant in the corner, of which Phil highly approved, and a wide desk took up most of the centre of the room. Inspector Johnston was seated in a high-backed chair, glancing pensively down at his notes. He looked up when Phil came in. “Ah, Lester. Have you found something?”

“Maybe, sir.” Phil shut the door behind him, hovering uncertainly. “I might – that is, I think I have a hint on the Howler case.”

The Inspector’s eyes lit up with interest.

Phil shifted on his feet. “I was wondering – do you still have the phone box under surveillance?”

“The Howler’s drop-off point?” The Inspector nodded. “We do, but not with much success.”

“Oh?”

“A few people have gone in and out, but we’ve lost them all, and they were all hiding their faces.”

“Ok,” Phil took in a breath. “Could I request to be put on surveillance duty tomorrow, sir? By myself, I won’t need a partner.”

The Inspector’s eyebrows shot up.

“It’s to follow up a lead,” Phil added hurriedly, “I wouldn’t be in any danger, I just – I have a trap to set that might work, but it’ll only be possible if I’m the only one on surveillance.”

“Well, this is certainly unconventional, Lester.” The Inspector steepled his fingers, peering intently at Phil. “Can you share the details of this lead with me?”

Phil winced. “I’d rather not, sir. Not until I have it confirmed.”

“Hm…” The Inspector pursed his lips. “Well. I’ll willingly take any help on the Howler case, and I know you’re a sensible officer. I can’t entrust you there on your own though, you’ll need some backup.”

“Can it at least be out of sight? Around the corner?” Phil crossed his fingers behind his back. “It’s essential no one else can see the phone box – I’ll call for backup if I need it.”

The Inspector made a face. “It’s against protocol…”

“But I know what I’m doing,” Phil spoke firmly. “Sir, the only way my plan will work is if I’m alone.”

The Inspector eyed him sternly for a long moment. Eventually, he replied, “Alright, Sergeant, you seem set on this. You have my permission – but only on the grounds that you call for backup the _instant_ you need it, understand?”

Phil nodded his head eagerly. “Yes, thank you, sir. Um. I just have one more question.”

“Yes?”

“Is it still true that if we catch the Howler, you’ll be offering him a job?”

\---

Later that evening, Phil was sitting on Dan’s couch with Dan occupying the cushion next to him. Both of them were leaned over their respective controllers, staring intensely at the screen, Mario Kart requiring their full and undivided attention.

Dan was, as ever, winning. Phil would never admit to it, but Dan’s gaming skills were far and away above his own – Phil put it down to the fact that Dan rarely ever actually left his flat, so he clearly had far more hours to lounge around playing games than Phil did. Dan, of course, just laughed and said that Phil was being bitter.

Phil lost the round again, and he bit the controller savagely as Dan cheered beside him.

“You really need to practise more, Phil,” he crowed with a bright grin sent in Phil’s direction, “Or you’re never going to have a hope in hell of beating me.”

“Shut up. I hate you.”

“Liar.”

Phil grumbled, tossing his controller down onto the ground and crawling across the sofa until his head was lying in Dan’s lap. Dan laughed down at him, his lips stretched wide, his brown eyes dancing. He laid a gentle hand in Phil’s hair.

Phil moved appreciatively into his touch, his eyes half-closing. In the moment of quiet that followed, he decided that now was as good a time as any to set his plan in motion, so, keeping his voice carefully casual, he mentioned, “By the way. Had another breakthrough on the Howler case today.”

Predictably, Dan’s hands ceased their moving through Phil’s hair. Phil listened closely as Dan’s breathing hitched a little, his voice hiding just the hint of a tremor. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Phil made sure to keep his tone normal. “Found one of his main drop-off points.”

Dan tensed.

“A phone box,” Phil helpfully continued, “Only a couple of streets away from here, actually.”

“Huh.” Dan’s tone was carefully constructed. “So have you found anything there?”

Phil shook his head against Dan’s thigh. “But we’re setting up surveillance. Gonna send someone out the day after tomorrow.”

“Not tomorrow?”

“Inspector Johnston doesn’t have the manpower yet.” Phil feigned a wide yawn, curling up closer to Dan. “The Howler’s got one more day to use it, then we’ll be shutting it down. Taping it off. Everything.”

“Right.” Dan’s tone was neutral.

“We’re getting close to him now,” Phil added. Was he laying it on too thick? Maybe. But he had to be absolutely sure Dan was getting his message. “We’re going to catch the Howler, I can feel it.”

Dan shifted. His hand went back to smoothing through Phil’s hair. “It’ll help your career, won’t it?”

“Hm?”

“Catching the Howler.” Dan’s voice barely even trembled. “I mean, you’ve been looking for him for ages, so if you caught him, it would help you, right?”

Phil blinked. “Yeah. Yeah it really would.” He huffed out a laugh. “But it isn’t even about that anymore. I just want to be able to look him in the eyes. To know who the genius bastard is."

Dan held back a slight chuckle. _If only you knew._

“We wouldn’t be locking him up, either,” Phil continued.

Dan recoiled in surprise. “What?”

“I know, I had the same reaction at first.” Phil stretched out in Dan’s lap, humming slightly. “But Johnston pointed out that we’d be stupid to lock a genius like that away. We’d want to employ him instead.”

Dan made a surprised noise.

“Either way, we have to catch him first.” Phil glanced up at Dan to see his sharp features carefully arranged, his expression blank, aside from his widened eyes. Phil grinned – job done. Phil sat up again, stretching, and grabbed for his controller. “Anyway. Best of three, loser buys dinner?”

Dan blinked. He turned towards Phil, the words taking a moment to register. When they did, a wicked grin tinted his lips, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “You’re on, Lester. And you’re _never_ going to win.”

\---

_There’s still no reason to panic._

Dan spent the majority of the next morning pacing around his flat, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. Ever since his conversation with Phil yesterday, his thoughts had been constantly churning, debating over the best thing to do. So the police knew about his telephone box? It must have been Filemore. Trust him to betray Dan as soon as he’d dropped the USB drive.

Dan cursed in his head. At least he still had today. Phil said the police weren’t going to the phone box until tomorrow – that gave him several hours to nip out and check there wasn’t any incriminating evidence left. He could pop out while Phil was at work, go to the box, take the USB drive if his new client didn’t already have it, and then be back home before Phil was finished for the day. No reason to suspect him.

Phil left for work an hour ago, and Dan was still pacing around the flat, his quick mind thinking through all the possibilities. He knew this was his only option. There would be nothing suspicious about him going for a local stroll around his neighbourhood – aside from the fact that Dan never went outside unless he absolutely had to. He just needed to get moving.

Pushing away any remaining doubts, Dan snatched up his keys and his phone and strode out of his flat, making sure to keep his hood down low over his face.

The streets of London were busy, as they would be any weekday. Tourists lined the curbs, cameras aloft, staring at the sights that Dan had long since started to ignore. He wove his way between them irritably. At least his long legs meant that he could stride quickly through the streets, and the set expression on his face tended to mean the crowds parted way for him. Being so obnoxiously tall had its upsides.

Dan moved rapidly through the streets, taking a bit of a roundabout route just in case anyone happened to trace his movements. The street corner with the phone box on it was a bit out of the way, not on one of the main tourist routes, which meant there usually weren’t as many people around who could potentially see Dan getting up to his work. He was used to slipping in and out quickly, collecting things from his clients, or leaving them there for his clients to pick up. This was the first time he was making an unplanned trip, though, and also one of the few he made in the daytime.

Dan turned the corner, and there was the phone box, winking dull red in the morning light. The English weather was typically grey, but it was warm, so there were several people out on the streets. A few cars were parked along the road, as well. Dan made sure not to stare at anyone too intently as he made his way up to the phone box, tugging his hood down over his face.

The metal door was cool under his fingertips. He tugged it open carefully, and after one more quick glance around, Dan slipped inside. The space was cramped; tiny, but familiar. Dan didn’t dawdle. He moved straight to the panel that once held a working phone line, back when these phone boxes were in use. Now, it was nothing more than a street decoration. Dan set to work, his practised fingers tugging at the panel. It came away with a bit of a tug. The tang of rust hit, making Dan wrinkle his nose as he bent down to poke around inside the hollow, making sure there was no remaining evidence in there.

He missed the sound of the door opening, and the footstep behind him, until it was too late.

“So it _is_ you.”

The quiet voice disturbed the air, making Dan jump up with a sharp intake of breath. He span around, the panel still open behind him, and came face-to-face with Phil.

Phil, in his police uniform, with his arms folded and his blue eyes fixed straight on Dan’s face.

_Shit._

Dan swallowed. He tried to back up, his hips jutting painfully against the hard panelling at the back of the phone box. The air sat heavy and thick between him and Phil, and Phil made no effort to break the silence. His blue eyes were hard, his stance firm. He blocked the only exit.

Dan licked his lips.

“Are you not going to say anything?” Phil demanded eventually, his tone sharp. “I’ve just caught you red-handed, Dan!”

Dan narrowed his eyes. It was true – Phil outsmarted him. Phil, a _cop,_ outsmarted him, _the Howler._ Dan could feel his reputation smarting, but worse than that, he could feel Phil’s anger sizzling in the fiery space between them. Goosebumps ran up his arms.

Dan pressed himself as far back as he could, narrowing his eyes. His voice came out raspy. “How long have you known?”

“Not until I saw you walk in here,” Phil shot back. “At least, not for certain.”

“So you’ve suspected before?”

“I’m not an idiot, Dan,” Phil snapped, “Despite what you must think of me.”

Dan clicked his tongue. “I don’t think you’re an idiot.”

“No? Well you clearly thought you’d get away with lying to me this whole time!”

“What did you expect me to do?!” Dan glared, his tone heavy with sarcasm. “ _Oh, hey, Phil, yeah, so turns out you’re a cop. Did I mention that my job isn’t exactly legal? Yeah, well, bye now!_ Somehow I don’t think that would have worked.”

“You still lied to me,” Phil growled. “For _months_.”

“I didn’t have a choice!”

“You should have just been honest with me.” Phil gritted his teeth with an audible _clack_.

“And let you arrest me?”

“I wouldn’t have arrested you, Dan.”

But Dan wasn’t listening. He stared around, his eyes widening, panic starting to grip at his veins. “How many of you are there? Have you got back-up coming?”

“Dan –”

“Get out of my way.” Dan pushed away from the back of the phone box, moving towards the door. Phil reached out for him but Dan knocked his arms away, pushing passed him and out of the door.

Phil gave chase, grabbing at his arm. “Dan, wait…”

“Get _off_!” Dan ripped out of Phil’s grip, movements violent. Panic was clouding his thoughts. He raced away, ignoring Phil’s continuing shouts behind him, instead tearing as fast as he could down the street. The other people sent him odd stares, a few irritated cries sounding after him, but he ignored them all, focused only on _getting away._

_Shit, Phil knew._

Phil knew, and Dan’s life was over. He had to get away. Phil knew all of Dan’s haunts – his flat, his possessions. Dan should never have let Phil in as close as he had, should never have let Phil know all his secrets. Now Phil knew everything, and Dan had no way out.

Dan swore loudly. He skidded through the streets, making for his flat. He had no doubt that Phil would be following him, but maybe if he was quick, he could get back to his flat and wipe his computer history. Then he could grab his wallet and run – didn’t matter where right now, just away from anywhere Phil could find him. Dan’s thoughts were a whirlwind of mess and panic, clouding his mind until he felt like he was running through fog.

Ragged gasps sounded from Dan’s chest, but he didn’t stop. The route seemed to take forever, filled with street after street after street, but eventually he found his way back to his building. He leaped up the stairs and burst into his flat, heading straight for his office.

The computer took ages to start up. Dan barely got the home screen to load before there was a crash from behind him, and Phil’s voice echoed from the hall. “Dan!”

Dan cursed again. He slammed his hand down onto the keyboard, opening up his programmes, fingers clenching when it took too long to load.

“Dan!”

Footsteps sounded from the corridor and his office door was thrown wide open. Dan was hit with a strong sense of déjà vu, remembering the last time Phil burst in here to catch Dan at work. But this time, there was no hiding. No way back for Dan.

“Stay away,” Dan growled, leaping to his feet when Phil, red-faced and panting, appeared in the doorway.

Phil shook his head, gasping to recover his breath. “Don’t…”

“Get out of my way, Phil.” Dan cast a hasty glance back at his monitors, gritting his teeth when he saw the programme still hadn’t loaded. He had a quick delete set up, for if he ever needed to run, but he needed to wait for the files to load before he could activate it. He had no idea whether or not he had time before Phil’s colleagues would show up. Should he just run?

“Don’t go anywhere,” Phil managed, his voice squeaky.

Dan shot him a dark look. “If you think I’m just going to roll over…”

“No, you idiot,” Phil coughed, “I haven’t called for back-up.”

Silence.

Dan recoiled. Shock flashed across his sharply angular features.

“No one else knows, Dan,” Phil panted, “So will you _please_ just hear me out?”

Dan’s eyes narrowed. “Why the hell haven’t you told anyone?”

It was Phil’s turn to look surprised. He blinked, fixing Dan with a startled look. “What?”

“I don’t need protecting, Phil.”

“Clearly,” Phil snorted, “Not if you’re actually the Howler. Which I’m still, like, mostly in shock about, by the way.”

Dan had the grace to look a little sheepish.

“Look,” Phil tried again, “I have loads of questions to ask you, and I think we definitely need to talk, but I’m not going to turn you in. Or arrest you, or anything else that might be going through your paranoid mind right now.”

Dan raised a mild brow. “Paranoid?”

“You know what you’re like.”

Dan snorted. “It’s hardly paranoid when I’ve got a _cop_ to deal with.”

“You’ve been dealing with me for months,” Phil reminded him, “And pretty well, too, seeing as I never actually believed it could be you.”

Dan shifted a little. He glanced away from Phil, back at the whirring computers, and then around the rest of his office. In a way, he felt lighter, knowing that Phil knew the truth now – and whether or not he was going to get captured in the future, for right now, he seemed to be safe. Dan still trusted Phil, he realised slowly. Despite everything, he still trusted Phil.

“Let’s go sit,” Dan muttered finally, moving over towards Phil. “If we’re having this conversation, I’m gonna need coffee.”

A small chuckle told him Phil was following him through his flat.

A short while later, they were both seated at Dan’s dining table, coffee in hands, facing each other. Dan’s eyes flickered around the room as he shifted in his seat, but Phil was calm and settled, his gaze resting constantly on Dan.

It was Dan that broke the silence first. “So how long have you known?”

“About you?”

“About my … job.”

Phil snorted. “Is that what you call it?”

Dan fixed him with a sharp stare.

Phil leaned back a little, hands wrapped tight around his mug. “I kind of suspected from when you got your new phone. It was a bit of a coincidence – you know, you texting me right when the Howler’s phone activated, and then you getting a new number just when the Howler disposed of his phone.”

Dan cursed. “I knew I should have been more careful with that.”

Phil just stared at him. The silence stretched on uncomfortably long, the air growing thick between them. Dan shifted under Phil’s intense gaze. “Are you just going to stare at me?”

“I just…” Phil shook his head, and then, much to Dan’s amazement, the corners of his mouth turned up. “I can’t _believe_ you’ve been the Howler this whole time.”

Dan just looked at him.

“This _whole_ time.” Phil shook his head, giving a small laugh. “I let the Howler in my flat. Hell, I let him in my _bed_.”

“I didn’t hear any complaints at the time,” Dan added wryly.

Phil laughed again. Then he stared up at Dan, pausing. “Wait. Howler? Oh, you massive dork.”

Dan lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”

“Your surname is _Howell,_ and you picked _the Howler?”_ Phil shook his head, full-on grinning now. “You’re such a nerd.”

“Excuse you.”

“That’s the lamest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Dan huffed. “Says the man with Edward Elric on his pillow.”

“You know full well he’s the coolest character.”

“I know. Doesn’t change the fact you’re a giant nerd.”

“So are you,” Phil pointed out resolutely, and he was still grinning as he stared at Dan. “No wonder you nearly choked when I told you I’m a police officer.”

Dan gave a short, sarcastic chuckle. “You have _no idea_.”

Phil grinned at him. “I’m kind of flattered you stuck around, to be honest.”

“Well, I didn’t think you’d ever actually catch me.”

“Oi.” Phil narrowed his eyes, leaning closer with a playful glare. “I’m the one who trapped you, aren’t I?”

Dan clicked his tongue. He couldn’t exactly deny that. He sat back, folding his arms and pinning Phil with an impassive stare. “Alright. Well done. So now what are you going to do?”

Phil hummed. “Well, that’s really up to you.”

“What?”

“It’s like this.” Phil leaned forward, splaying both his hands out on the table. “There are two options. Well, three, but the first one is I turn you in, and I’m not going to do that.”

Dan blinked at him. “Why?”

Phil looked up at him, and the affection in his eyes was enough to make Dan feel as if he’d been punched in the stomach. Phil smiled softly. “Do you even have to ask me that?”

Dan swallowed. He dug his nails into his palms, trying not to let the warmth spread any farther than his chest.

“So. The other two options.” Phil pursed his lips. “If you want, you could leave. Run away – like you were clearly planning when I got here – just delete all your evidence, pack up your stuff, go. I wouldn’t stop you.”

“You wouldn’t?”

Phil sighed heavily. “I mean, I wouldn’t _want_ you to go. But I wouldn’t stop you, not if that’s what you really wanted.”

Dan tilted his head, eyeing Phil closely as he mulled that over. So Phil would really let him just walk out of here, no questions asked, no turning him in? Wasn’t that illegal? Couldn’t he lose his job? Dan didn’t want to be the cause of that.

Plus, the idea of a life without Phil felt mostly hollow to Dan now.

Dan clicked his tongue. “And the other option?”

“Well, the other option is my favourite.” Phil looked at him seriously. “You could turn yourself in.”

Dan let out a harsh laugh.

“Wait, hear me out.” Phil held up a palm. “I think I told you, the station doesn’t want to lock you up.”

“So what, I’m supposed to believe that?”

“It’s true!” Phil’s tone turned indignant. “Johnston told me himself. You’d work for us instead.”

Dan lifted a brow.

“I mean,” Phil gestured vaguely in the direction of Dan’s office, “It looks like you’re kind of a genius.”

Dan’s lips quirked up. “Only kind of?”

“Shut up. Point is, the force wants to hire you.”

Dan pursed his lips, contemplating. Work for the police? It went against everything he’d ever considered – as if he was betraying his roots. But Phil was a police officer, and he wasn’t half bad. Maybe Dan would be able to do more good _on_ their side than against them.

Even if it would be a massive hit to his pride.

“The upsides of this option,” Phil was continuing, “Are that you don’t have to go on the run. You could stay here. I mean, you’d probably have to let them investigate your stuff, but you wouldn’t get charged – you’d just get, like, appropriated.”

“Appropriated?”

“You know what I mean.” Phil smirked at him. “Plus, you’d get to work with me, and I know how much you hate not being around me.”

Dan rolled his eyes.

Phil had a point, though. If he took this option, Dan wouldn’t have to leave. He’d made quite a life for himself here. And he’d get to keep Phil.

That was immediately worth it.

Still, Dan mulled it over, chewing his inner cheek as his thoughts churned endlessly through his skull. He hummed. “I still have a lot of questions.”

“We could go talk to the Inspector. He’d be keen to hear from you.”

“And I’m not automatically saying yes,” Dan warned. “I’m just – exploring the opportunity.”

Phil grinned at him. “Sure. But it’s a good one. Trust me, you’ll love the force.”

“Oh, will I?”

“Yep. Just think. You get to spend every waking minute with me.”

Dan burst out laughing, reaching across the table to whack Phil’s shoulder. Phil dodged with a squeak, his hands flying up to protect his face, but his eyes narrowed wickedly when Dan’s laughter just got harder. Phil got to his feet, striding slowly around the table.

Dan lifted a brow, scrambling up to his own feet and dodging around the table. “You already caught me, Phil, is this really necessary?”

Phil didn’t say anything. He kept advancing, slowly and steadily, and Dan backed further and further away until his back hit the kitchen counter. That was when Phil pounced. He launched himself at Dan, fingers tickling relentlessly into Dan’s side, until Dan was a wriggling, giggling mess curled up in a corner of the kitchen, gasping for breath and mercy.

“Told you I could catch you,” Phil announced proudly, letting up his grip a little.

Dan gasped, narrowing his eyes at Phil. “Yes, yes, well done. Don’t get cocky.”

“I just caught the Howler, I’m allowed to get a little bit cocky.”

“But,” Dan lifted a finger, a smirk tugging at his lips, “It _did_ take you over a year, and I still don’t think you know half of what I’ve been up to.”

Phil stopped short for a moment. His brain was still struggling to piece together the fact that all his suspicions had been correct – that yes, Dan was indeed the Howler, and now Phil knew that, and yet somehow things were still ok between them.

Because Dan was getting to his feet now, and his fingers were wrapping around Phil’s, and he was tugging them gently through until they were curled up on the sofa. Phil’s eyes were trained solely on Dan, questioning, bright. He hummed. “You know, you’re probably right. I bet we don’t know what you’ve been up to.”

“From the look of your files, you got about half,” Dan confirmed breezily.

Phil’s eyes widened. “You’ve _been in my files_?”

“Phil, please. I’ve known you for months now.”

“ _How did you even…?_ ”

Dan chuckled softly, his fingers tightening around Phil’s. “I’m a hacker, remember? You made the mistake of leaving me alone around your computer.”

“Oh, crap.” Phil’s face creased up. “Dammit. You haven’t been in my internet history, have you?”

“Phil, I’ve been in your _everything_.”

“Sneaky little bastard.” Phil shoved Dan, hard, closing in on him with grappling fingers. “All this time I’ve been moaning to you about finding the Howler, and you were him this _whole time…_ ”

“It was quite amusing.” Dan’s eyes were bright, but he grabbed Phil’s hands, bringing him in closer. Dan nuzzled his head into Phil’s shoulder, his long body folding into Phil’s chest, curling up, holding him tight. Dan’s next words were spoken into the skin of Phil’s neck. “But, I mean, I am kind of sorry.”

Phil blinked down at him, surprise flitting across his features.

“I thought about telling you loads,” Dan continued, tone soft. “I just. I thought you’d lose your shit. Arrest me without a second thought. And I kind of got used to having you around.”

Phil’s gaze softened. His grip around Dan tightened wordlessly, bringing him closer. Phil closed his eyes and lay his head on Dan’s hair, breathing in his familiar scent. “You’re an idiot.”

“That I am.” Dan nuzzled his face into Phil’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “Alright.”

Phil blinked down at him. “Alright?”

“I’ll come in with you tomorrow. Talk to your Inspector.” Dan glanced up at him, his brown eyes full of warmth. “See if we can cut this deal.”

Phil’s answering grin spoke louder than any words could. He leaned down, pulling Dan up into a kiss, and Dan sighed into his touch, curling up closer.

When he felt Phil’s strong arms wind around him, reminding him that this was his home, Dan knew he’d made the right decision.

\---

EPILOGUE – TWO MONTHS LATER

“Dan, the hell?” Phil called out from the kitchen, clinging onto his mug of coffee as if his life depended on it. His hair was straightened, his uniform was on, and his bag was all set and ready to go, but there was absolutely no sign of his boyfriend.

Phil clicked his tongue, casting another glance at the time on his phone. “Dan, seriously, we have, like, ten minutes to get there.”

“Gimme a few,” Dan’s voice floated from somewhere up the corridor. “Gotta straighten my hair.”

“You’re going to be late,” Phil grumbled. “ _We’re_ going to be late, and it’s my first day, I can’t afford this!”

A few more moments passed, filled with the sounds of hurried movement, and then the rumpled form of Dan appeared in the hall, his hair straightened, his clothes rumpled. His phone was in his hand, his bleary eyes entranced by its screen.

Phil rolled his eyes affectionately. “Get over here. There’s coffee, and your tie’s wonky.”

“Thanks,” Dan muttered. His eyes remained glued to his phone, but he moved blindly towards Phil, allowing him to sort out his tie and jacket.

Phil sniffed. “Are you not going to pay any attention to me at all?”

“You get plenty of attention, _Inspector_ Lester.” Dan peered up through his heavy lashes, his eyes still encrusted with sleep, and Phil felt his heart tug a little. No matter how many mornings like this he had with Dan, his stomach still couldn’t last without doing somersaults when he realised that this wonderful human was _his_.

Phil made a face. “I still think they’ve made a mistake.”

“They haven’t,” Dan disagreed. He tugged out of Phil’s grip, turning toward the coffee. “You deserve it – you caught me.”

“Arrogant, much?”

“You know it’s the truth.” Dan allowed a wide yawn to stretch his lips.

Phil leaned against the counter beside him, his lips twitching despite himself. He sipped at his own coffee, glancing around the kitchen of the flat they now owned together. Dan gave up his own apartment when he let the police in, saying it had been tainted when they were investigating everything and he didn’t particularly want to stay somewhere other people’s messy fingers had been prying around in. Phil agreed readily enough, and Dan moved in with him temporarily until they found their own place.

And now they lived here – in the centre of one of London’s quieter districts, just a ten minute tube journey away from the police station. Phil brought all his house plants with him (although Dan might have tried to strategically ‘lose’ a few of them in the moving process), and Dan still had an office where he could keep his various monitors (once they came back from the investigation). Phil was allowed in, but only under strict observation from Dan.

“C’mon then, Inspector Lester.” Dan brought Phil back to the present with a nudge. “Thought you didn’t want to be late.”

“You’re always late,” Phil muttered.

“Oi.”

They grabbed their belongings and left the flat, Phil locking up behind them, and then made their way through the busy, rush-hour streets of London to the tube station. Dan spent the majority of the tube journey with his head on Phil’s shoulder, yawning sleepily, ignoring the looks from those around him. Phil would have been surprised, but this kind of behaviour was all-too-familiar from his clingy, lazy partner in the mornings.

Phil nudged Dan when it was their stop, earning himself a glare. Phil just stuck his tongue out in return.

When they made it into the police station, they both swiped their security passes to get through into the office areas. Phil waved at a few of his colleagues, a smile on his lips. Dan followed close behind him with a smirk. He still got surprised, wary looks from the rest of the police officers now that his identity was known, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t get a bit of a kick out of it. He was practically preening as they moved past the desks.

“You love this,” Phil accused.

“I do,” Dan admitted, a small smile gracing his lips, “But you love me, so it’s fine.”

“I hate you.”

“Suuuuuuure.” Dan dragged out the word, very deliberately grabbing Phil’s hand as they carried on through into the next room.

“Shut up and help me move in.” Phil had his own office now, next to Inspector Johnston’s. They would still be working together, but as equals, and as such, Phil got his own work space. He dragged Dan into the room after him, glancing around. His possessions were all in boxes, aside from one cactus that sat plaintively on his desk.

Dan rolled his eyes when he saw it. “Oh my God, you have a problem.”

“Don’t be mean to it.” Phil shoved him lightly, moving around to the other side of the desk to try out his desk chair. It squeaked a little when he moved.

Dan shook his head, eyeing Phil closely. His expression could only be described as fond. He leaned against Phil’s desk, glancing around the room with an approving nod. “I hope you know I’ll be spending most of my time in here.”

“You will not.” Phil span around to face him, eyes narrowed. “You have your own work to be doing.”

“Aw, but wouldn’t you rather I stay in here with you?”

“See?” Phil grinned up at him, wheeling closer to Dan’s side. “I told you, you hate being away from me.”

Dan made a face back at him. He sidled closer, lifting a hand to rest lightly in Phil’s hair. Phil leaned into the touch with a happy sigh.

A noise at the door disturbed their little moment. A female voice huffed. “ _Dan Howell,_ I should have known you’d be holed up in here.”

Dan jumped, spinning away from Phil to see the threatening form of Emily leering in the doorway. He backed up quickly, hands in the air. “Hey, I was just about to leave.”

“ _Sure_ you were.” Emily glared at him, then swung her gaze around to Phil, who shrank back into the seat. “And you, Lester! I expected better from you.”

“I told him to leave,” Phil protested weakly.

Dan sent him a betrayed look, eyes wide. Phil grinned at him with a shrug. “What? I _did_!”

“You’re such a backstabber.” Dan shook his head, turning back to look at Emily. She still had her arms folded, her eyes narrowed into dangerously thin slits. He missed the days when they first met – she’d nearly had a heart attack the first time Phil introduced him as the Howler – but since they’d been working together for several weeks, she’d grown less and less afraid of him. In fact, now, she bossed him around more than anything.

“Point is, _Howell,_ ” Emily seethed, “You were meant to be in fifteen minutes ago.”

“I was here!”

“ _Here_ isn’t where you work,” Emily pointed out dryly, “Much as you apparently wish it were.”

“I did warn you he couldn’t be away from me,” Phil interjected.

Dan turned a dangerous look on him, brown eyes flashing. Phil just smiled sweetly in return. The look between them was full of a gentle warmth, along with a strange kind of openness that Dan still had a hard time adjusting to. Phil knew everything about him by now – no more secrets, nothing uncovered.

Dan should feel a lot more frightened by that than he did.

“Yes, yes, you’re both gross,” Emily flapped a hand at them, “I get it. But there’s actual work to do. I thought you were a hacker, Dan.”

“Hey,” Dan glowered at her, “You know full well I am.”

“Well, get your arse to work and prove it.” Emily flounced out of the office without another glance.

Dan grimaced. He turned a slightly apologetic look on Phil, who simply shrugged, waving him away. “Go on, before she actually kills you.”

“But I was gonna help you settle in.”

“You can do that later.” Phil smiled at him, and Dan’s breath still caught at the way Phil’s entire face lit up. How had this become such a key part of his life? How had Dan managed to keep such a kind, warm person by his side?

Dan blinked, pulling himself back to the present when he realised he’d just been staring at Phil’s face for a bit longer than was actually acceptable. He scrubbed at the back of his neck. “Ok. Um. So I’ll come here at lunch?”

“Yes, please.” Phil’s smile widened, the corners of his eyes creasing up.

Dan returned the smile before he thought about it. He pushed away from Phil’s desk, grasping Phil’s collar and pulling him in for a quick kiss. They pulled apart slowly, reluctantly, until Phil shoved him away with a laugh. “Go on, before Emily murders us both.”

Dan sent him one final grin before striding out of the room. Phil watched him go with warmth spreading through his chest, knowing that he’d be back in just a few hours.

Dan – his Dan – the Howler – the hacker – and now the technical analyst.

Phil turned to his desk, beginning to set out his belongings from their boxes. The nameplate on his desk read ‘Inspector Phil Lester’. Phil paused to watch it for a while, a smile adorning his features, before he turned back to his boxes.

Honestly, he couldn’t imagine things turning out better for the both of them.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This AU was actually really fun to write. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. Thanks so much for giving my work a chance! <3 Also this is cross-posted from tumblr, my URL is ineverhadmyinternetphase if you want to come see my other fics/talk to me ^_^


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